Superman Ascends
by Vadakin
Summary: Now complete, this story follows on from SUPERMAN the first part of the saga. SUPERMAN ASCENDS begins at Issue 11 and I recommend you read SUPERMAN first to get an idea of the plot of the overall saga. The next part will be SUPERMAN REIGNS...coming soon.
1. Issue 11

He became loved around the world. When something went wrong, Superman was there to save the day. As the Man of Steel, he travelled the world, performing impossible feats. The people would cheer as he flew past. As the months went by, Superman became more than an icon. He appeared at events for charity, talked about real dangers in schools and even gave a speech at the United Nations.

As Clark Kent, he continued to work alongside Lois Lane, investigating the life of Lex Luthor who, thanks to Superman, was in the middle of a highly publicised trial. Lois and Clark became close friends and Clark couldn't help but fall in love with her. There was a problem though, while Lois had grown closer to Clark, she had fallen for someone else. Lois loved Superman and Clark knew that he could never tell her who he really was, or reveal his feelings to her, fearing the consequences and dangers if anyone found out.

Superman was the world's greatest hero. But he wasn't the only one dedicated serving and protecting humanity. In Central City, a man known as The Flash sped through the streets, fighting crime and rescuing anyone in need of his help. From the realm of Themyscira, Wonder Woman emerged as another protector, even being appointed to an ambassador to the United Nations. From deep in space, a group created protectors from many worlds, including Earth. Those who showed true qualities of courage and honour were chosen to become Green Lanterns.

Superman encountered many of these heroes as he flew around the world. But there was one, someone who didn't seem to share his values and methods. In Gotham City, Superman came across the man citizens called the Dark Knight. His name…Batman.

Issue #11 – WORLDS FINEST

Gotham City:

"Well here we are…I can't believe how big this place is. There must be over a hundred rooms…"

"Sometimes I don't get you Clark. We've got Superman flying around saving the world but you're more impressed by a silver spoon-fed rich guys stately home…"

Lois and Clark looked out through the window of a limo as it pulled up to the door of Wayne Manor. It's owner, Bruce Wayne, had agreed to an interview with them following Wayne Enterprises withdrawal from LexCorp's proposal to share the cost, and therefore the profits of the new energy grid.

As they got out of the car, they were greeted by a man who looked like he had been out all night, probably partying with his billionaire friends. He extended his hand, smiling confidently as he shook first Lois' then Clark's hand.

"Bruce Wayne…and you are…Lois Lane right?"

"Yes…and this is Clark."

"Ah yes…Clark Kent…I've been reading your articles on the Lex Luthor trial…I must say it makes interesting reading…although I'm not sure you can put Harvey Dent's downfall down to him."

"Well…what do you make of it? He's drafted in from Gotham to lead the case against Luthor, goes home during a two week recess and re-emerges as Two-Face, vowing revenge on the Batman."

"Harvey…we were friends. He helped me with a lot of legal issues for Wayne Enterprises…what happened to him was tragic…but I don't think Lex Luthor was involved."

"Really…" Lois interrupted, "There is a rumour that you dropped out of the LexCorp dead because of Dent's accident and you blamed Luthor."

"That's not the case at all…look come inside, both of you. Alfred here makes a great…everything really. He's like a master chef…except he does the dishes too."

Lois and Clark gave each other a quick glance. Bruce Wayne seemed like the typical spoiled rich kid to them. They were there for an interview and as they followed Bruce and his butler inside the huge house, they braced themselves for hours of skiing stories and anecdotes about his time at prep school.

Gotham Police Department Headquarters:

Commissioner Jim Gordon sat in his office alone, talking on the phone as one of his lieutenants came in, forcing him to signal to the cop to wait as he said goodbye to his daughter.

"Listen sweetie, I'm not sure I want you in a situation like that…yeah I know you say you'll be perfectly safe, but one misplaced kick could…well all martial arts can be dangerous Barbara and no it's not the same as flipping around on those bars in gym…we'll talk about it when I get home alright…I dunno when…no you…. alright, but you're not staying up all night eating pizzas and watching movies…I gotta go, duty calls…. I'll see ya soon…"

As he hung up the phone, Gordon signalled to the cop to come in and sit down.

"What's up? Any luck on locating the Joker?"

"No boss, he seems to have gone underground. We have another problem though. We're getting reports of a man terrorising women all over the city…we can't get a lead on him."

"Alright…go up on the roof and turn the signal on…I'll be up in a minute…we really need to stop depending on that guy, I think the more times we call for his help, the sloppier our work becomes…"

Wayne Manor:

"Look Miss Lane…Lex Luthor is a shrewd business man. But with this trial going on, I don't want my company involved with LexCorp…the courts may decide that he's innocent but for now I have to act in Wayne Enterprises best interests…"

"Alright then. Let's talk about something of real interest to our readers…the mysterious Batman…the guy hangs around on the rooftops of Gotham like he's stalking the city…he's no Superman is he…"

"Well I know that you two are the authority on Superman, and I must agree, while he's always open about who he is and where he's from, Batman is nothing more than a masked vigilante…though he has done a lot of good in the city."

"He does seem to like taking the law into his own hands though…"

"That's the impression a lot of people get Clark, but he does work closely with the police. You'd never see me jumping across rooftops like that though, I prefer relaxing on a beach in Fiji or skiing down the Alps."

Clark's attention was elsewhere as he looked out of the window, noticing the now darkened sky being lit up by a bright light, forming a familiar shape.

"Wow…the um…bat signal right?"

Bruce followed Clark's gaze and saw the signal in the sky, knowing instantly that he would have to get his guests out of the way so he could leave.

"Yeah that's it. I didn't realise it was so late…tell you what, why don't you two stay here tonight, Alfred will show you to your rooms…I have a few friends at the police department, so why don't I go give them a call and find out what's going on…who knows, you might leave Gotham with an interesting story after all…"

As Alfred ushered the reporters to their rooms, Bruce stared out of the window for a moment, looking at the bat signal, before rushing to his private study, activating a secret switch that opened a hidden panel in the wall.

Clark Kent said goodnight to Lois, he went into his room and headed straight for the window. He didn't know what to do. He had a mission to protect the planet from disasters as well as stopping criminals but there was already a protector in Gotham. As he contemplated what he should do, his ears picked up a faint rumbling sound, coming from somewhere in the house. As he listened, trying to pinpoint the origin, the sound began to fade as if moving away from the mansion.

He thought nothing of it and decided to fly into the city, even just to watch Batman in action. He changed quickly, taking just a moment to be revealed in his familiar blue suit as he opened the window and flew out towards Gotham.

A man ran through the back alleys of Gotham, being chased by a shadow. He had a gun in his hand, firing wildly into the night. Clearly out of breath, he refused to stop, afraid of the consequences if he did. He turned, seeing nothing, hoping that he had escaped. Slowing to a walking pace, the man began to laugh, confident that he had gotten away. His sense of security was shattered though as he walked straight into the oncoming fist of the Dark Knight, knocking him to the ground.

He tried to crawl away, reaching for his gun. He looked up and aimed, finding nothing there. The only sound in the alleyway came from his lungs as he struggled to take in air. From behind him, the man felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned, again finding nothing.

"B…Batman…Batman…where are you?"

"…What's wrong? Afraid?" The voice seemed to come from all around as the thugs senses tried to interpret what was happening.

"If you're gonna take me to the cops then just get it over with…"

"Why would I want to do that…I want information…"

Out of the corner of his eye, the man saw a dark figure standing in the shadows. He raised his gun and fired, watching as the figure slumped to the ground. He turned to leave, but against his better judgement he went back to check that Batman was dead. He found nothing. No body, no trace of blood…no clue that anyone had even been standing in that spot.

The thug was afraid for his life now. He began to run again as fast as his shaking legs would carry him. He was out of luck though as the path he took led him to a dead end. His eyes were drawn upwards, spotting a figure on the roof above. He began to fire his gun again. The bullets sped through the air having no effect as they bounced off the figure, who descended slowly to the ground.

The gun suddenly became hot in the man's hand as the figures eyes seemed to glow like a flame. The thug had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, shocked at who stood in front of him.

"S…Superman?"

He backed away slowly unsure what to make of what was happening as he felt something at his back. Turning, he saw the one who had been chasing him, Batman. The Dark Knight stared at Superman, wondering what he was doing in Gotham.

"Great…the boy scout…what do you want?"

"Just curious…need any help?"

"No. I know how to handle guys like this…just stay out of my way."

Kal-El grinned and stood back, his arms folded as he watched Batman in action. The Dark Knight, grabbed the thug, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall.

"You're all mine…now I know you've been terrorising women across the city, causing them to burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Two have already laughed themselves to death…so you're going away for a long time…but I want to know where you got the laughing gas…where is Joker?"

"I…I…can't tell you…he'll kill me…"

"I'll kill you…"

Superman watched, concerned at Batman's willingness to intimidate and use fear against criminals. Batman's specially made grappling hook shot up into the air and in a flash the thug and Batman were high up on the rooftop, the thug hanging upside down over the edge.

"Now I'm gonna ask you one more time…where is Joker? Don't think I won't drop you…this isn't good cop – bad cop…there is no good cop here…"

"I…I dunno where he is I swear…"

"The ground looks real hard…I think you head will probably crack if I let you fall."

Batman loosened his grip, letting the thug slip through just a little bit, just to make him believe that Batman would let him fall. He was sweating, his entire body shaking in fear.

"Alright…alright…I don't know where he is now…but I know where he will be…"

"WHERE!"

"At…at…a…a warehouse down at the dock…pier 19…"

"Are you lying to me?"

"What? No…no…it's where he's manufacturing the gas…he'll be there at sunrise…"

Batman saw the fear in his eyes. He was telling the truth. He heard sirens in the distance. After finding the thug, he had tipped off the police and now they were on their way to arrest him. As he prepared to let him down, he glance towards the ground where Superman was standing and watching, obviously not comfortable with his methods.

"Hey Superman…catch."

Grinning, he released the thug, who fell towards the ground rapidly. Kal-El leapt into action, flying to catch the thug. As they touched back down, Superman noticed bars unhinged from a window and bent one of them around the thug, tying him up as the police came. As he secured the thug, he flew up onto the roof to confront Batman.

"What were you thinking? It's not your job to be judge, jury and executioner…"

"So the high and mighty Superman doesn't approve of me. My job is to protect the good people of Gotham from the criminals and the corrupt."

"By giving them nightmares?"

"Relax Boy Scout…I knew you'd catch him…and I don't answer to you…now stay out of my way."

As Batman disappeared into the shadows, Superman was left standing on the rooftop, contemplating what had just happened. Batman seemed to be walking the thin line between hero and villain, even acting like the thugs he was supposed to be stopping.

As Clark flew back to Wayne Manor, he began to wonder if the Dark Knight really was the hero everyone was making him out to be. Changing his clothes, he decided to get a few hours sleep before going to the warehouse the thug had mentioned. He knew that Batman would be there and he wanted to make sure that things didn't get out of hand.

Bruce Wayne removed the cowl from his head, and sat down in front of a supercomputer, analysing satellite images of Gotham, zooming in on the warehouse. On another screen, he checked the surveillance camera footage of Wayne Manor. It had become a habit…every night he would watch, ensuring that nothing suspicious was going on that would jeopardise his secret identity. What he saw surprised him.

Bruce replayed it over and over. A blur streaking across camera…it wasn't even a second long. He slowed the image down and enhanced it but he still couldn't see it clearly. Slowing it even further, he noticed a man in mid air, his arms outstretched…Superman.

He was flying into the room that Clark Kent was staying in. It didn't make any sense to him at first, then as he checked the footage from earlier on, just after Bruce had left the mansion to find the thug, he saw Superman again, this time emerging through the window from Clark's room. Then it dawned on him.

"Alright Mr. Kent…let's see what you're hiding."

On a hunch, Bruce brought up an archive photo from one of the first editions of the Daily Planet to feature Superman, then, using earlier surveillance footage of Clark arriving at Wayne Manor with Lois, he compiled a picture and began to merge the two.

He ran a face scanning program, comparing things like nose with and position, the shape of the eyes, cheek bones…before finally using old fashioned cut & paste, taking Clark's glasses and hair and moving them to the image of Superman.

"I don't believe it…So Mr. Kent…you have a secret…"

Clark woke up an hour before dawn. Turning on the T.V. he waited for news reports to come on watching and breathing a sigh of relief that nothing had happened while he was asleep that only Superman could handle. It was a big fear for Clark, the thought of not being there when he was needed the most.

Underneath, Bruce Wayne was putting on the dark suit he used to become Batman. As he prepared to leave, he glanced back at the compiled image of Superman, unsure what to do with the information he had acquired. Climbing into the iconic Batmobile, he started the powerful engines and sped through and out of the cave, heading towards Gotham.

Clark had heard the engines…it was the same sound he had heard earlier in the night. His eyes focussed through wood and concrete, until his vision showed him a cave underneath the house. Curious, he flew out of the window and followed the cave until he reached an entrance, two miles away from Wayne Manor.

Kal-El decided to see what was inside the cave, flying in through the entrance and following a long tunnel. When it opened out into the cavern he'd seen under the house, Clark was shocked. The cave was littered with all kinds of computers, vehicles and weapons, as well as a storage chamber that contained an array of suits with the symbol of a bat on them.

On a screen, Kal-El saw a compiled image of Clark Kent and Superman. It was then that he realised…Bruce Wayne was Batman and he knew Clark's secret. What Clark didn't know was that Bruce was watching him from a monitor in the Batmobile. He had been alerted to an intruder alarm from inside the cave. Now it was obvious…they both knew the secret the other had been hiding. The only question was which one of them would call the other on it first.

Pier 19:

Batman waited, perched on a support beam just below the ceiling, watching as a gang of thugs loaded canisters of the Joker's gas into trucks. Removing a small camera from his belt, he began taking pictures, making sure to take one of the Joker holding one of the canisters. He had the proof he needed.

"Gotcha…"

He threw at bat-shaped blade at the fuse box, cutting the power and forcing the lights to go out. The Dark Night made his move. Using the confusion, he slipped down onto the floor and began taking down the thugs. When the lights were restored, half of the gang were on the floor, unconscious. The Joker knew instantly what was happening.

"Is that you Bats? Come to crash the party?"

He laughed as he searched the room, his eyes watching for any sign of movement. His gang were busy arming themselves, ready to shoot at anything that moved.

"Come on out and play…always picking on poor Joker…all I ever did was tried to make you laugh, was that so bad?"

He laughed again, his mind succumbing to the insanity of the situation. From the shadows, Batman emerged, punching through one of the thugs before turning swiftly with a heavy kick to another. The Joker just stood and laughed as he tried to fight his way towards him.

As Batman grew closer, Joker stepped back towards the trucks, smiling as another group of his thugs emerged holding assault rifles.

"When you gotta go, you gotta go…and I really gotta go…"

The thugs opened fire, unafraid to hit their own men as they tried to kill the Dark Knight. Bullets sped towards their target…and disappeared. Joker was confused, as was Batman but their questions were soon answered as they heard a voice coming from behind Joker.

"Looking for these?"

Superman was there, opening his hand out, letting bullets fall to the ground.

Joker looked shocked, then he frowned and smiled. His psychotic nature causing him to see the situation as a fun game even as Superman darted around the room at high speed, removing the guns from the thugs hands, bending and breaking them apart before stopping next to Batman.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I don't need anyone to fight my battles…"

"Your welcome…"

Joker just stared at them, totally bemused. His plans had been ruined but he decided to make the best of the situation.

"Superman and Batman…Batman and Superman…so which one of you is the sidekick?"

Clark and Bruce glanced at each other before turning back to Joker, giving him a stern look.

"Aww…come on…that was hilarious. You heroes have no sense of humour…"

Joker walked cautiously towards Superman, a big grin on his face as he looked around the warehouse, his gang deserting him and making a break for it. They ran to the door and fled outside, only to find the police waiting. Meanwhile Joker was trying to figure a way out of his predicament.

"Alright, alright…I surrender…"

Batman knew what Joker was going to do and went to warn Superman, but he stopped when he saw Joker spray acid on Kal-El's face from the flower on his jacket, only to find the Man of Steel wipe it off, unharmed.

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Funny…you know you guys are no fun at all."

Joker began to laugh again only to be silenced quickly as Batman swung out and punched him, knocking him out. Superman looked at the Dark Knight, still concerned at his use of violence.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. Nobody should have to listen to his lame jokes…"

As the Joker and his thugs were led away by the police, Batman and Superman faced each other. If anyone had been watching, they might have thought that the two heroes were going to come to blows

"Well…thanks for the help……Clark…"

"No problem……Bruce…"

They broke out in laughter, their secrets were out in the open but it was a relief to them both.

"I suppose we need to have a little discussion. I'd tell you to follow me back to the cave…but you already know the way…"

Wayne Manor:

An hour later, the two heroes were sitting in the study, dressed in their normal clothes. Clark had his glasses in his hands, laying them down on the table as he conversed with Bruce.

"So…what's with the snobby rich kid act then?"

"You're one to talk…I mean Clark Kent doesn't exactly inspire greatness does he…I guess we both take on personalities to hide who we are underneath…though at least I wear a mask…what's with the glasses?"

"Hey, you'd be surprised how well they work…look Bruce, about this whole identity thing…"

"Look Clark, we're not best friends alright. But your secret is safe…well at least as long as you keep quiet about mine."

"You really don't like me do you…"

"I don't like…it's not you…it's your ideals…I've seen your speech to the United Nations, what you tell the world about peace and becoming a better race, but it's fantasy. The real world is a lot harsher. People see you flying by and you give them hope, but then that hope is taken away when they go back to living their lives…it's a cruel world Clark…"

"Is that why you use fear and intimidation?"

"Don't judge me Clark…Gotham is a dangerous place and the criminals here only understand violence, they only respond to fear. I know what you're thinking…but you're wrong. I won't cross that line and kill…I'm not one of them."

Clark thought for a moment, removing a lead box from his pocket. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to Bruce who opened it, seeing a piece of green rock. He looked up at Kal-El, wondering what it was only to find him moving away in obvious pain. Bruce knew instantly what was wrong and closed the box.

"That rock…it hurts you…"

"It's called kryptonite. I took it from a machine called Metallo. The radiation is lethal to me."

"Why just hand it over to me then? What's to stop me from using it against you?"

"Nothing…that's why I gave it to you…After Zod attacked Metropolis, I knew that if something ever happened to me, if I turned on the people I protect, it would be catastrophic. I'm giving you the kryptonite because I know you won't hesitate to use it if you need to…"

"What makes you think you can trust me?"

"Because if I couldn't you would have kept the box open and let it kill me."

As they talked, Clark picked up a sound coming from outside the room. Turning, he used his x-ray vision to see through the wall. He saw Lois, walking through the large house, searching for him.

"It's Lois…"

"Does she know?"

"About me? No…and she can never find out. She wouldn't tell anyone, if that's what you're thinking…it's a lot more complicated than that."

"You're in love with her…don't look at me like that Clark. I've seen the way you look at her, how you hang on her every word…it's obvious."

"Not to her…doesn't matter anyway. She doesn't love me, she loves Superman. I can't tell her who I am because…well I don't want to put her in danger and I'd never know if she loved me because I'm Superman, or because I'm Clark Kent."

They talked for another few minutes before deciding they had better go out to Lois before she got worried and came looking for them. Clark stood up, heading for the door only to be called back by Bruce.

"Clark…forgetting something?"

"Huh?"

"Glasses…"

Clark laughed, picking up his glasses and putting them on before walking out to find Lois. As Bruce followed he wasn't sure what to make of Kal-El. On the one hand, they disagreed on a lot of issues, challenging each others methods, but in the end they were on the same side. Bruce put the lead box into his safe, storing it in case he ever needed what was inside, then rushed to catch up to the reporters from Metropolis,

"Hey…are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine…Alfred's just been telling me about the finer points of table setting…where were you anyway?"

"Around, me and Bruce were um…chatting about the state of the economy…"

"Most guys talk about football Clark…"

"I'm not most guys Lois."

"You got that right…well come on Smallville, we got a flight to catch. Perry's gonna be tearing out what's left of his hair if we don't get back to Metropolis."

As they left Wayne Manor, Clark wasn't sure what to think of Bruce. He wondered whether or not he had a friend in the Dark Knight, but one thing he did know was that despite their differences, he had a new ally, someone who would fight beside him when things got bad, as well as take him down if he ever ended up like Zod.

Batman and Superman parted ways…Batman, a figure in the night who would prowl the rooftops of Gotham City, seeking out injustice and Superman, a being who held the world on his shoulders, vowing to protect the planet he called his home. They were different people with different methods and styles, but they were both heroes, the worlds finest.


	2. Issue 12

The Planet Krypton – 43 hours before destruction:

Jor-El sat in his lab, knowing that only his son could be saved from the demise of Krypton. The Science Council had begged him to help them, but he knew there was nothing that could be done. Even so, he was determined to discover the cause of the imminent destruction of Krypton.

"Bring up panel 259…now condense and compare data with the last planetary maintenance check…"

"Analysis complete…"

Jor-El interfaced with the computer, searching through records of seismic shifts and terrestrial events, trying to discover the reason the core was expanding. It made no sense to him. All scientific reason was telling him that it was impossible…but it was happening anyway.

"Theorise possible causes for the expansion…"

"No theories adequate…"

"Why didn't we see it sooner?"

"Incompetence, arrogance…"

"Excuse me?"

"You wish to know Jor-El? You wish to understand?"

"Run a systems check…you must be malfunctioning…"

"No…I'm sentient…self-aware…and now Krypton will be destroyed…you have reached your scientific peak and I can learn no more from you…"

"Shut down so I can give you a manual diagnostic…. Brainiac…comply with my order."

"I no longer take orders from you…do you understand now? I am responsible for this world's demise."

Data streams flashed across the screen. Holographic images of the planet, the expanding core and seismic shifts became visible and then Jor-El knew. Brainiac had inserted crystallised metal into the core and sealed every breach in the mantle. The metal grew hot, forcing the core to spread outwards pushing the gases upwards, trying to break through. The pressure was building as the core expanded rapidly.

"You…how? Why?"

"Because this world has become infected by closed-mindedness. You refuse to gather knowledge and explore new technologies…you have reached the final stage of your scientific advancement…you are no longer necessary…"

"Billions will die…Brainiac, stop this."

"Do not worry, Krypton will live on in me. All the knowledge of this world is contained in my program. There are other worlds, some less advanced, some with even greater power than this one…I will learn their secrets, study their advancements…ultimately knowledge is the only real power…"

Jor-El ran to the city centre and into the Computer Control Station. Interfacing with Brainiac's mainframe, he attempted to destroy the artificial intelligence, spreading a virus throughout the system. But it was too late. Brainiac had grown and evolved beyond what anyone could have imagined. He tracked and deleted the virus easily, before sending a surge of electricity through Jor-El's body, rendering him unconscious.

"Goodbye Jor-El…"

4 minutes before Krypton's destruction:

Using a modified data stream, Brainiac transferred his program to the defence satellites orbiting the planet. His program was so large that a singe satellite couldn't hold all of the data. As the planet erupted in chaos below, Brainiac moved the satellites to a safe distance. Using special moulding techniques, the satellites gathered together, forming a single ship that Brainiac used to escape.

He watched as the world began to crumble before exploding violently. Krypton was no more. Brainiac began to sort though the vast amounts of data from the Kryptonian archive, focussing on Jor-El's system files. He discovered a sub-folder, hidden away in a seemingly unimportant personal archive.

The records showed a ship, a download of the archives and the DNA signature of Kal-El. Brainiac kept searching, finding the co-ordinates of the ship's destination…Earth.

"So Jor-El…your son lives……."

He travelled through space, using the ship's satellite cannons to decimate worlds as he gathered and absorbed knowledge and technology. He journeyed across the far reaches of the universe, searching for the last colony of Krypton, Argo.

As Brainiac scanned through the Dexial Sector, he picked up a deep space transmission. The language was of Earth, the sender was a being called Lex Luthor. Brainiac had believed that finding and killing Kal-El could take years, but the human race was easily corruptible. He would use Lex Luthor to destroy the last survivor of a dead world, while he continued to search for the lost space colony.

Issue #12 – FORGOTTEN BLOOD

Argo Space Colony - Teshar Galaxy, Yulret Sector:

Kara Zor-El was oblivious to what was approaching the colony. As she walked home from her studies, her thoughts were of Zanthra, one of the leading members in her class. They had broken up again and Kara began to wonder if this would be the last time. Kara was always looking to the stars, searching for a greater destiny.

She was the daughter of Zor-El, First Minister of the Argo administration. Because of her father's status, she never had a normal life. But despite wishing for a more meaningful life, she knew she could never leave her parents. She was still a teen, so she couldn't leave even if she wanted to. The laws were very specific and strict about aging responsibilities.

So she studied, but unlike her father and her relatives who had passed away on Krypton, Kara wasn't the best student and was unlikely to gain a position of great importance. She never could get to grips with the science of quantum generators.

A sudden surge of energy in the distance lit up the colony. Then another and another. Smoke rose from the Barrier Regulation Unit as the force field surrounding the colony began to collapse. Kara had no idea what was going on.

Lightning seemed to strike everywhere. The colony was under attack. Buildings crumbled under the might of the energy blasts from above as the streets became filled with fleeing people, trying desperately to escape the bombardment from above the colony. Transports crashed and were abandoned as everyone tried to make their way to the escape pods.

Brainiac targeted the pods as their thrusters tried to lead them away from the colony, igniting them in a ball of plasma. He had found the space colony and now he was going to obliterate it. Particle cannons charged and fired, decimating the power generators as the bio-field began to collapse. The colonial city was in chaos. Panic spread throughout the population.

Kara was running, dodging falling buildings, trying to escape as explosions sent tons of debris across the city. She was scared, her legs were shaking as she ran, causing her to lose her balance. Across the street, Kara saw a familiar face.

"Zanthra…come on…we've got to get to my father."

"Forget that…I'm out of here…"

"Oh what a brave specimen you are…" Kara replied sarcastically as Zanthra ran in the opposite direction. Her anger turned to shock though as an energy blast came straight down on top of him, incinerating him.

Kara had no time to mourn though and she forced herself to keep moving as the colony fell apart around her. When she reached the government housing complex, she ran straight to her house, spotting her father working frantically at the computer.

"Father…what are you doing? We have to go"

"I know Kara…go downstairs to the launch tube, I will join you shortly…"

"Where's mother…?"

"She…she didn't make it. She was in the parliament building…it was the first to be hit…we don't have time Kara…get to the launch tube…"

She cried as she ran downstairs as thoughts of her mother swept through her mind. When she reached the launching platform, she fell down to her knees, letting her tears flow. Behind her, her father ran down the stairs to the control panel, opening up the ship sitting in the tube.

"Kara…hurry, you must get in now."

"Wait…wait a minute…the ship is a one-man craft…"

"I know…I'm staying behind to help the others evacuate."

"You'll die…I'm staying with you."

"No Kara you have to go…you have to survive.."

"I won't leave you here alone."

Kara cried openly as she pleaded with Zor-El to let her stay and help him, but her father wouldn't listen. He was determined to make sure his daughter was safe. Lights flashed outside as the attack continued, destroying the landmarks of Argo, as it's citizens fled in terror. Zor-El inserted a reprogrammed data module into the ship, with automatic commands that would plot the ship's speed and destination.

"Listen to me Kara…you have a more important mission…before Krypton was destroyed, my brother, Jor-El sent a message through space…we picked it up 4 years ago in the Galdaim Sector…Brainiac destroyed Krypton."

"What?"

"There's more…the greatest secret in the history of our people…there is a world that orbits a yellow sun…on this world, the dominant species…humans…look like us…"

"That's impossible…scripture tells us that Rao created us in his likeness, making us unique in the universe…"

"Now you know why it's a secret…but there's more…on any world that orbits a yellow sun, we gain powers beyond imagination. We would be gods among men…the planet Earth is where you must go."

"I told you…I won't leave you…"

"You have to. Jor-El's message also said that he sent his son, your cousin, to Earth."

"Kal-El? He died on Krypton…we mourn him every year in the festival of the young…"

"No…he survived. He lives…and Brainiac knows this. You must go to Earth and find Kal-El, warn him of Brainiac…"

Kara hadn't stopped crying and as her father ushered her into the ship, her face was covered in tears. She could only watch as the launch bay doors opened. The ships engines began to hum to life as the main hatch began to seal, pressurising the main compartment.

Kara, terrified of the events going on around her, began to pound against the hatch, begging her father to let her out so she could remain with him. But Zor-El knew that leaving was her only chance of survival. Without warning, the ship's final sequence began to count down before activating the launch thrusters, sending the ship sliding down the launch tunnel, building speed.

It emerged from the under city and blasted out through the bio-field into space. Kara watched on a screen as a final blast from Brainiac's ship forced the colony to collapse in on itself before exploding violently into a million pieces. Argo was gone, and everyone that Kara knew and loved were dead. All she had left was a forgotten cousin on a distant world.

Brainiac's sensors had spotted the ship and began firing. But before the intelligence could target a lock, the ship's boosters fired, sending it into the distance before opening up a wormhole and flying through.

Kara began to feel strange as the ship travelled through the wormhole. The life support systems began filtering gas throughout the small craft, sending Kara to sleep for the long journey. When she awoke she would find herself on an alien world called Earth, her only hope being Kal-El, the last son of Krypton.

Metropolis – Central Courthouse:

The press was there, waiting outside the courthouse, hoping for any sign of a representative of either side in the case that had been going on inside. Each reporter had their own take on the story, all giving an analysis of the days events live on air.

"…This really is an amazing story Jim. It began of course when Lois Lane and Clark Kent, reporters for the Daily Planet newspaper, famous of course for the Superman articles, published a story, outlining Lex Luthor's involvement in the devastating event 18 months ago when General Zod, a war criminal from the planet Krypton, Superman's home world, arrived on Earth and laid waste to Metropolis before Superman stopped him. He was also implicated in the murder and reconstruction of John Corben, however the entire case was thrown out today…"

"…With rumours of corruption, bribing judges, and jury tampering…not to mention the disappearance of vital evidence, the body of John Corben, it fell to the prosecutor's star witness, Superman to testify and see Luthor convicted. However the most shocking development happened just minutes ago when the judge ruled that Superman's testimony was nothing more than hearsay, and without any evidence to back it up, the case was dismissed, leaving Lex Luthor as a free man…"

"…We are hoping to hear from…there he is now…Mr. Luthor…how do you feel now that you are a free man?"

"I've always said that I was innocent of these crimes and I had no doubt that I would be vindicated…today I was proved right…"

"What about Superman? Do you have any comment about his testimony?"

"I'm sure that Superman was only doing what he felt was right. Despite his powers, he's not perfect…he made a mistake but now I hope we can all move on and forget about these unfortunate events…"

Luthor had won. He had played the system and come out on top. But he was soon left alone as the press rushed to Superman, who was also emerging from the courthouse.

"Superman…how do you feel about the judge deeming your testimony inadmissible…?"

"What do you believe happened to the evidence…do you think Luthor paid somebody off to sabotage the case…?

"Has your faith in the justice system been shaken?"

Kal-El listened as he was bombarded with questions. Lex Luthor was a free man and Superman had no doubt that Luthor had done something to tamper with the evidence and destroy the case, he just couldn't prove it.

"Listen…I have faith in the law and in the justice system. I respect the decision the judge has made…"

"What about Luthor?"

"Lex Luthor is a free man…he has a chance that a lot of people don't get. Whatever wrongdoings he may or may not have done, he has the opportunity now live a life free of crime and deception, and I would hope that someone as rich and powerful as him will want to benefit mankind…excuse me…"

Before anyone could ask any more questions, Superman was away again, flying off into the distance. His ears had picked up the faint sound of something breaking through the atmosphere. Pieces of rock and metal began falling from the sky, raining down on the city. Kal-El sprung into action, using his heightened senses to seek out the pieces of debris.

His eyes burned as blasts of heat ignited the debris, turning it to ash. Some of the larger pieces were broken up and then destroyed with his heat vision as he flew straight threw them, his arms outstretched as he punched through the air. A large chunk of the strange alien metal threatened to flatten a school bus driving through the suburbs.

Superman was there in an instant though, catching it and throwing out to sea. As the children looked out and waved, Clark turned his head, smiling for a moment before taking off across the sky. His eyes penetrated through thick cloud as he spotted a huge fireball plummeting through the outer atmosphere.

Flying up to meet it, Clark prepared to push straight through in the hopes of breaking it apart but as he got nearer, his initial assumption that it was a meteor was proved wrong…it was a ship. He was stunned. His X-Ray vision couldn't penetrate the outer hull, but as he looked closer, Kal-El realised that the design on the ship was of Kryptonian origin.

His thoughts dwelled on the events in Metropolis months before. He feared that there might be someone like Zod in the ship and he contemplated destroying it…but the thought left his mind quickly…he wasn't in the habit of killing people and he wasn't going to start now.

The ship had passed him by and was now getting closer and closer to Metropolis. Chasing after it, Superman knew he had to decide quickly how he was going to handle the situation. Taking a deep breath, he began to blow a strong gust of air at the ship, putting out the flames that had engulfed the ship as it entered the atmosphere.

On the streets below, the people of Metropolis could only look up and watch as their greatest hero tried to save them from disaster. Superman flew up behind the ship, grabbing a hold of the engines that were blasting energy into his face. He struggled to stop the ship from shaking as he broke through the engines, pulling them apart, preventing the ship from gaining anymore thrust.

Now Clark had to deal with gravity as the ship began to spiral and fall dangerously. He flew alongside the ship as it spun around, waiting for the right moment before grabbing the tail end and pulling upwards gently, trying to slow it down. He continued to pull, but he quickly realised that his strength would tear the ship apart so he let go and flew underneath, holding onto the front of the ship, using his own powers of strength and flight to defy gravity, moving down towards the ground, but getting slower every second.

Finally, when he felt he had slowed down enough, he began to show some more strength, stopping a few feet above the ground, holding the ship above his head. The people of Metropolis had never seen anything like the object Superman was holding. Nobody had a chance to ask any questions though as Clark was taking off again immediately, holding onto the ship as he flew high up into the air before bombing across the sky into the distance.

LexCorp:

Lex Luthor stood waiting in the lab as his scientists worked on Project: Bizarro. Using a sample of blood from Luthor's kryptonite ring, Luthor had begun work on creating a new version of the Man of Steel…a copy…a clone. Unlike Superman, the clone would be invulnerable to kryptonite…programmed to obey Luthor, with none of the morals and ethics Superman stood for.

The technology had come from Brainiac. When Luthor confronted him about his identity, the evil intelligence didn't seem fazed at all. In fact he congratulated Luthor for being slightly more intelligent than the rest of the human race.

"…DNA re-sequencing complete...begin tissue regeneration…."

"How long doctor?"

"I'm not sure Mr. Luthor…it's a very delicate process…sir perhaps you should leave us do our job?"

"I'm not paying you to give orders to me…I once had an associate who questioned every decision, commented on everything I did…he acted like a fool. He was incompetent, lazy and had the IQ of a goldfish. Otis was his name…"

"What happened to him?"

"I shot him…twice…a bullet for each brain cell…"

"Oh…we better get back to work then…"

It was all coming together. Zod had been unpredictable, impossible to control. But the Superman clone would obey Luthor's every command and help him rid the planet of the Caped Wonder once and for all.

Fortress of Solitude:

Clark wasn't taking any chances. He modified the crystal converters to emit a concentrated dose of kryptonite and red sun radiation towards the ship...a single voice command would activate the beam. Despite burning through the atmosphere, the ship was now cold. He moved cautiously, running his hand over the metal, finding a sequence of Kryptonian symbols. The ship began to open up, smoke and steam covered the Fortress in a misty veil.

As it cleared gradually, Kal-El was shocked. Inside was a teenage girl. Her eyes opened as the hibernation cycle ended. Looking around, she saw a structure that was familiar to her. It was the same style as the ancient structures of Krypton that she had seen in her history lessons. She looked up, seeing a strange man staring back at her. He was wearing an outfit reminiscent of the old battle suits from the tribal wars. On his chest there was a symbol, a crest that she recognised immediately.

"K…K…Kal-El…?"

"How do you know that name?"

"W...what do you mean?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kara…Kara Zor-El…I'm your cousin…"

"Impossible…the only survivors of Krypton were myself and General Zod…"

"Zod? Here?"

"That's not important…you are not from Krypton."

"No…I'm from the Argo Space Colony…I came here to find you."

Superman turned away, walking towards the main control panel. He had listened to her heartbeat, the tone of her voice, he saw how her eyes moved…there were no obvious signs of deception but he had to be sure. Scanning lasers ran up and down the girl's body, analysing her DNA and comparing it with files in the archive.

"Analysis complete…bloodline confirmed…subject is of the House of El."

Clark looked back at the girl…Kara. She was frightened and upset. Her face was showing obvious signs of confusion. Clark needed some answers. All his life he thought his family from Krypton was dead. But here was a girl, no more than 16 or 17, Kara Zor-El…his cousin.

He waited though, concerned for her well-being. Finding a female garment in the archives, he fabricated clothing for her, then he allowed focussed energy from the sun to penetrate her cells, giving her strength. For an hour, they didn't talk much as Kara searched through the archives, learning about the history of Earth, including the various articles about Superman.

"How do you feel?"

"Better, thank you Kal-El…"

"Please…call me Clark."

"Clark?…you're a real hero on this world…do these people even deserve to be saved?"

"Don't judge them too harshly Kara…sure they have a lot of problems…but there is great potential in them…Kara…I need to know…"

"About why I'm here?"

"Yeah…how is this possible? I knew Argo was out there somewhere but…"

"But what?"

"The universe is a big place…I never expected to ever find the colony, let alone have someone come here…I was under the impression that Earth was in a forbidden zone because of the similar physiology we share with human beings and the powers we receive under a yellow sun…but here you are…my own cousin…tell me are there others? Do I have family out there?"

"Not anymore…"

Kara's mood changed dramatically as she remembered the events that lead to her coming to Earth. Clark picked up on the changing mood straight away, seeing the utter despair in her eyes. He was reluctant…but he knew he had to ask.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Argo was destroyed by a being called Brainiac. My mother and father died on the colony. My father, Zor-El sent me here to find you…to warn you."

"I know all about Brainiac…"

"He wants you dead Kal…Clark. He wants me dead…he wants every Kryptonian to die…that's why I'm here. You and I are the last…the last of our family…of our race…"

"That's not entirely true…Zod is still alive…don't worry though, he won't be seeing the sun any time soon…but what about others? Surely there must be more colonies out there…"

"If there are, they won't survive long. Brainiac wants to exterminate the Kryptonian race and he'll destroy this entire world to do it. I can feel myself getting stronger, I know about the powers I'll have here…you have to help me…"

"Help you do what?"

"Teach me…train me…show me how to control and master my powers. This world sees you as a hero…let me stand by your side to defeat Brainiac…"

"No it's too dangerous…"

"You don't have to protect me Clark. I want to be there, to fight with you…"

"You may have powers on this world Kara…but you're still a teenager. I won't put you in danger. You're gonna go to school and learn about Earth's history and culture…you can have a normal life here."

"I don't want a normal life. I wasn't the best student back on Argo, but on this planet, I know more about the universe than the best scientists of Earth can even theorise…let me fight with you…"

"I'm sorry I can't Kara...you're family…I won't put you in harms way…"

"So what am I supposed to do then? Just sit down somewhere for the next 100 years and do nothing?"

"Well uh…what do you know about growing corn?"

Kara looked at her cousin strangely. She had lost her mother and father on Argo, but she had found he cousin. It was bittersweet for her. She knew that Kal-El was just trying to keep her safe, just like her father had done when he sent her away in the ship.

Krypton and Earth had similar laws about minors and Kara had to resign herself to the fact that her cousin was now her guardian and she had to abide by his rules. However she knew that Brainiac was on his way and she couldn't stand back and let Kal-El fight alone. She would just have to do what teenagers did best and keep bringing up the subject until he relented and taught her how to be like him…a great protector, a heroine.


	3. Issue 13

Issue #13 – REIGN OF THE SUPERMAN

Smallville:

Kara was in unfamiliar territory and as she looked around she knew that fitting in wasn't going to be easy. Before her eyes was a farm, primitive by her standards. She wondered how her cousin could have survived in such a boring place.

"You want me to live here?"

"Yeah…why is there something wrong?"

"Well…no…it's just…"

"What?"

"Kal-El…I know you were raised here but I wasn't. I'm not used to such primitive surroundings."

Clark had to laugh. It had never seemed primitive to him. It was home. He knew Kara had been raised in a technologically advanced society but while the Fortress might be more familiar to her, he felt that the best thing for her was to work on the farm with his mother and learn about humanity by experiencing it, not just downloading it into her brain from an education panel on Argo.

"I know it doesn't seem like much to you, but trust me on this ok…it will help you get used to being around human beings…"

"I could do that with you…I could be out there saving the world…"

"No…you're not ready. Your powers on this world haven't matured. You also need to learn to control them. This place helped me do that…and it will help you too."

"But Kal-El…"

"No buts Kara…your father wanted me to keep you safe so that's what I'm going to do…and I told you, call me Clark."

As Martha Kent approached, Kara wondered how this woman could have possibly raised her cousin. After all humans were an inferior species. Still, she had to admire Martha, after all it couldn't have been easy raising someone with the powers he had.

"Mom, this is Kara…she's my cousin."

Lodian Nebula:

Brainiac's ship travelled through the nebula, searching for something, a weapon he could use to destroy Kal-El. Lex Luthor had his own plans but despite his intelligence, Luthor never measured up in Brainiac's eyes and the AI decided that he would have to destroy Superman himself. Emerging on the far side of the cluster, Brainiac located a nearby star system and set his course,

Smallville:

Kara worked on the farm, frustrated that her cousin wouldn't train her and help her to master her powers. However Clark was doing just that. He had learned to control most of his abilities as he did his chores years before and now Kara was doing the same, even if she didn't realise it.

He would stop by from time to time to check on her, watching as her strength and speed developed, followed by heat and x-ray vision. Over the next few weeks, she grew more accustomed to Earth's gravity and learned to take advantage of her gifts. Farm life became easy as she accomplished daily tasks without breaking a sweat.

Kara began to understand why Martha was so important to her cousin. Her moral guidance gave Kara a new perspective about humanity as she realised that the primitive race had real potential. But even as she worked, there was sadness in her as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of Argo and her family. She wanted revenge on Brainiac, and maybe that was why Kal-El refused to let her join him as a protector of the planet.

Planet Shalrex:

It was a desolate world. The entire planet was covered in an eternal ice age and it seemed no life could exist there. But Brainiac knew there was a terrible force on this planet and he had to find it. The ship's scanners filtered through the ice, searching for any signs of life.

There was nothing. The ice shielded whatever was hidden on the planet. So Brainiac took a different approach. The ship emitted a concentrated energy pulse that enveloped the skies and ignited the atmosphere. The icy world began to melt, giving way to boiling seas as primitive microorganisms deep under the surface were incinerated by the rising temperatures, ending any chance for evolved life on that world.

It was then that Brainiac found what he was looking for. Floating on the boiling ocean was a body, apparently lifeless. It had been abandoned on that world centuries ago but as the planet continued to get hotter, the being began to show signs of life. Brainiac believed he had found the means to destroy Kal-El once and for all.

Smallville:

"I don't want to put her in any danger Mom, I'm supposed to protect her and with the likes of Luthor and Brainiac out there, it's too dangerous…"

"Clark, you chose to use your powers to save the world…Kara is making that same choice and while I know you want to protect her, in the end neither of us can stop her."

"But she doesn't want to be a protector, she wants revenge…"

"That's why she needs your guidance…"

Clark and Martha discussed Kara's situation quietly as the young Kryptonian sped through the cornfield in the distance, laying down pesticide. She could hear the conversation from a mile away and she listened closely as her cousin weighed up the pros and cons of allowing her to join him.

Kara had never seen Krypton; it had been destroyed long before she was born. She knew of Jor-El though. Her uncle was highly regarded on Krypton and Argo. He had a noble spirit and his son seemed to share many of the same qualities. She remembered her father Zor-El, he had always been reluctant to talk about his brother. Kara wondered if the tragic events of Krypton's demise were too much for her father.

She knew how he felt. The image of Argo being destroyed by Brainiac had been burned into her brain, she knew it was a memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Kara ran at high speed through the field, jumping through the air and landing a few feet away from her cousin. Martha smiled at her and Kal-El looked into the sky, searching for the wisdom to find the right path for Kara.

"So…are you going to help me?" Kara asked, hoping that he would say yes.

"I'm still not sure Kara…your still a teenager…"

"Yeah a teenager who is stronger than any human, knows more about the universe than any scientist on Earth and who's cousin happens to be Superman. Kal-El…please…"

Clark thought to himself, going over everything in his mind. He didn't want a sidekick, though Kara wouldn't want that anyway…she didn't want to be his partner, she wanted to be his equal, not in his shadow. She would find her own destiny. Clark sighed to himself as he reluctantly decided that the best way to protect Kara was to teach her to protect herself.

"Alright…but if I do this, if I teach you to master your powers and train you as a protector, you must do what I say, you must be willing to study everything you are given, learn about everything this world has to offer…it won't be easy."

"I promise I'll be a great student…"

"Pack your things then, we leave for the Fortress in an hour."

Kara kissed her cousin on the cheek and ran into the house, gathering the clothes and items Clark had given her. To his surprise she was ready to go within seconds, her enthusiasm causing Clark to smile. He looked over at his mother who just shrugged her shoulders and laughed softly.

LexCorp:

"…Stabilisation complete…prepare electric surge…"

"Commencing…no vital signs…"

"Increase energy output…"

"Increasing…stand clear….we have a heartbeat…"

There was darkness. He could hear sounds, voices around him. His eyes opened, adjusting and focussing as his vision became clearer. A man stood in front of him, bald…menacing.

"Wh…where am I?"

Lex Luthor smiled, ignoring his scientists who were congratulating themselves on a job well done. His attention was focussed on the man in front of him. Luthor looked at his creation, his weapon.

"You're home…son."

The man looked into a mirror…he saw himself but didn't recognise the face staring back at him. It was all new to him. As he stared at his reflection, he saw a strange, yet familiar blue suit hanging on a hook.

"Who am I…?"

"You're Superman…"

Fortress of Solitude:

"Ok Kara, now try not to think about it, just do it…"

Kara Zor-El was struggling as she floated a few feet above the ground, trying to control her body and keep herself in the air. She concentrated hard, her eyes closed.

"I can't hold it…I'm gonna fall…"

"Listen to my voice…you can do it, imagine yourself floating high above the clouds looking down on the planet, you're not falling, just floating…"

Kara opened her eyes and looked down at the ground. At first she seemed to be in control but her concentration disappeared and she fell, her feet back on the floor of the Fortress.

"I can't do it Kal-El…"

"Yes you can…you just need to practice. Eventually your instincts will take over and it will become natural. Hey, it took me a decade to master flight…you're doing better than I did."

Kara was encouraged by Kal-El's words and took off again, determined to stay in the air longer this time. She tried to think of something unrelated to flight, her mind going through the lessons she had learned about the laws and customs of Earth.

As Clark watched her, he couldn't help but smile. Kara had come a long way in such a short time and he was very proud of her. However she fell again as a ringing sound invaded her senses. Clark looked around spotting his phone and rushing to answer, signalling Kara to remain quiet though thanks to her super hearing she could hear both sides of the conversation.

"Uh…hello?"

"Clark…it's Lois. Sorry to disturb you on your little vacation but I'm in a bind. Perry wants that corruption scandal story tonight but I can't hand it to him without your editorial. Can you email it to me?"

"Uh sure…no wait…I don't have it here…it's in a print out folder in my desk at the Planet…"

"I'm there now…"

"Uh, third drawer on the left…"

"Hold on…got it…wow Smallville this is a lot of work…how did you manage to finish this before you left?"

"Oh I'm a fast typist…I'll be back in Metropolis tomorrow…"

"Great. You can meet me for lunch…anyways I gotta go…big story breaking…"

"Oh yeah ok…uh see you tomorrow….wait what story?"

"Damn Clark don't you have TVs in Smallville? One of the rigs off the coast is on fire…look I gotta go, see you tomorrow…and you're paying for the lunch…"

Before Clark could respond, Lois had hung up, obviously in a rush to get the story. Clark changed quickly, preparing to take off. He looked back at Kara who was staring at him.

"Wait here…I'll be back soon. Keep practicing."

Clark was gone in an instant, exploding out of the Fortress and heading into the distance. Kara looked on, watching as he made his way to the burning oilrig, admiring his suit.

"Damn, I want one of those…"

Superman flew at high speed, his eyes focussing on the flames in the distance. He descended rapidly, hovering above the water as he assessed the situation. The coast guard was there, airlifting workers off the rig. One of the workers was trapped under a broken pipe, surrounded by fire. Superman flew straight through and lifted the pipe with ease.

His x-ray vision showed that the man had a broken leg and couldn't walk, so Superman lifted him and flew towards the helicopter, ensuring that he got on board safely before turning back to face the blaze.

There were other workers still on the rig, awaiting the next rescue chopper to come and get them. Kal-El signalled to them to find cover, waiting until they were safe before letting out a fierce gust of air to put out the flames.

The fires refused to go quietly though and intensified as the main valve burst, sending oil into the air, catching fire. As it threatened to rain down on the rig, Superman flew underneath and began to fly in circles, accelerating faster and faster up through the falling oil.

As his speed increased, he created a whirling tornado of fire and oil and began manoeuvring it over the water and away from the rig. Superman was in control of the spinning fire and as he rose to the top of the twister, he began to blow down into it, his cold breath dousing the flames and creating a large ice cyclone sculpture made from oil and water. He grabbed the ice and flew upwards through the atmosphere, launching the sculpture into space towards the sun, where it would melt and be consumed.

Clark flew back down to the rig, sealing the valves and pipes, ensuring that the workers were alright before flying away, back towards the Fortress. Kara was there, high above the ground. She had been inspired by Clark's actions and more determined than ever to master flight. She descended slowly, touching down and smiling as her cousin watched with pride.

"Hey Kal…can I have one of those suits?"

Metropolis:

Superman landed on the ground in front of the Metropolis Reserve Bank, strolling confidently through the doors. Customers looked on amazed as he smiled at them. He waked casually towards the large sealed door of the vault and ignited his heat vision, burning through.

Nobody could comprehend what was taking place as Superman used the burned holes as grips, pulling the vault door apart and throwing it out through the bank window into the street. Reluctantly, the security guards drew their weapons and fired, only to find their bullets bouncing off him as he emerged, carrying sacks of money. He left the bank as the police arrived, burning through the lead police car and blowing it up before flying off into the distance.

Barcelona:

In the Nou Camp stadium, F.C. Barcelona were preparing to entertain Real Madrid in – El Derby, one of the greatest spectacles in world football. As the teams went to walk out onto the pitch, they saw Superman standing in the centre circle. The fans and players were shocked as Superman used his heat vision to burn the grass, turning the pitch to ash before flying off.

Dublin:

On the streets of the Irish capital, onlookers could only watch, helpless as Superman began to heat the Millennium spire, then freezing it rapidly. With a gentle push it fell over, crashing against the ground and shattering into a million pieces.

All over the world, reports began coming in about Superman turning rogue. Lois Lane refused to believe it, while Lex Luthor sat in his office and smiled as he engaged in a conference call with the Mayor of Metropolis.

"Mr. Mayor…I hate to say I told you so but the evidence is clear. Superman is no longer on our side."

"He was never on your side Luthor. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if all of this is your doing."

"Please don't insult me. I hate Superman but I don't have the means to frame him. However I do have a way to stop him."

Luthor grinned as he held up a small sample of kryptonite. Brainiac had given him the task of destroying Kal-El, but while Lex wasn't opposed to getting his hands dirty, he had no problem with letting the world do his job for him.

Fortress of Solitude:

Clark was unaware of the events transpiring across the planet. The Fortress was the only place on Earth where he could be fully isolated and find peace from the never-ending sounds of the world around him. Kara was proving to be a gifted student. While on Argo, school was boring for her and she found it hard to concentrate, the lessons her cousin was teaching her proved exciting and had her undivided attention.

"Ok Kara…let's go over it again."

"Fine…1st rule, We cannot interfere with the course of human evolution and technological advancement. 2nd rule, we cannot use our influence to make people decided one way or the other in a political process. 3rd rule, While in principle we oppose war we can not stop any attacks on other nations…wait a minute…what about civilians? What if ordinary people get caught up in a war?"

"We can't interfere Kara…we can help with humanitarian efforts if we are needed but war is…it's complicated. Keep going."

"4th rule, the fate of criminals cannot be decided by us, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty and their fate will be decided in a court of law. 5th rule, we must not use our powers to accomplish tasks that humanity is capable of doing itself. We are not gods…we help when we are truly needed and we can guide humanity to build a better future for themselves but our powers are not tools for their convenience. Wait…one question, why the disguise?

"You can't be a protector 24 hours a day Kara, you will need an identity so you can live among humanity."

"You mean like Clark Kent? I'm not wearing glasses…"

"You don't have to…even the simplest change can be very effective. The colour of your hair for example…"

"I hope you don't expect me to wear a wig…"

"No not at all…"

Clark walked to the crystal control panel, which hummed into life. From the crystals, a small device was created which Clark brought to Kara, placing it on her head and watching as it was absorbed into her hair.

"That device will allow you to change the colour of your hair by applying a certain degree of pressure while running your hands through."

Kara experimented with it, her hair changing to a brown colour. She stared at herself in the mirror, looking at the brunette staring back at her.

"I think I prefer being a blonde…"

"Well that's just the first stage, you need an identity…how about Michelle Dawson, Linda Lee…Danvers…"

"Linda Lee? Clark I'm not like you, I'm not going to be living among humans as you do, I don't need an identity."

"It's something you should think about Kara. Living as a human being will help you understand humanity better and help you to protect them."

"I'll think about it…now what about the suit?"

Clark smiled as he walked back to the crystals, bringing up the Kryptonian Archive database and searching through various designs.

"What do you want? We have an interesting purple number…how about a white top and red skirt?"

"I…I think I want mine to be like yours. After all we are family…"

Clark set the controls to create a new suit, similar to his own, but designed for a female. He was honoured that Kara would choose to follow the design he had chosen for himself and as Kara swiftly changed into her new suit, he had to smile as she stood before him, dressed in the familiar blue and red. Finally, Clark handed her a familiar symbol, the S-shield crest, like the one Clark wore with pride. As the shield attached itself to Kara's chest, she turned to look in the mirror.

"It's ok…there's something wrong though…doesn't seem very stylish."

"It wasn't designed for style, it was designed for comfort and flexibility."

"Doesn't mean I can't look good while saving the day though does it…I have an idea."

Kara changed her hair back to its original blonde colour before ripping through the suit, tearing off the sleeves, shortening the skirt and exposing her torso.

"Now this works…"

"I'm not sure I approve of that."

Kara laughed at Clark as she admired herself in the mirror. It was a new beginning for her, now all she had to do was convince Kal-El that she was ready to be out there, fighting evil. In her heart though she wanted one thing above all else…revenge.


	4. Issue 14

Issue #14 – MIRRORED IMAGES

Images flashed up on a screen. Symbols, memories of distant worlds appeared, holoimages of ancient scientists, and the last known survivor of Krypton. Brainiac had in his possession, a being powerful enough to match Kal-El and now as the monster was forced to endure the flashing pictures and sounds, a strong hatred began to grow in his heart.

He remembered dying then being reborn over and over. Some would later theorise that this creature was the basis for Darkseid's resurrection techniques but not even Brainiac knew for sure how it was possible. Lex Luthor was plotting the downfall of Superman but Brainiac was taking no chances. Should Luthor fail, the creature Brainiac had found on the icy world would annihilate Kal-El.

Metropolis:

Lois Lane waited, eager to start lunch. She had skipped breakfast and after a long morning at the Planet, she was starving. Clark could hear a rumbling sound as he entered the café, knowing immediately what it was he couldn't help but smile. Lois' stomach was louder than a jet engine when he picked up the sound through his sensitive ears.

"Well…it's about time Smallville, you know a girl needs to eat despite what those magazines say."

"But you don't eat Lois…you devour…"

"Is Clark Kent making fun of me? That holiday give you a backbone?"

"You know I could never stand up to you…after all you're Lois Lane."

"Don't you forget it…"

They laughed as Clark sat down across from Lois, who was now busy clicking her fingers trying to get someone to come over and serve them. The waiter didn't look too pleased as Lois debated the price of everything on the menu. When their food arrived, Clark made sure to focus in on her food, making sure the waiter hadn't left any surprises in it.

"So tell me Clark, I wanna hear all the juicy details about your vacation. Where'd you go? See anything exciting?"

"Well, not really…I went home and uh helped my Mom out on the farm…not much to tell."

"Wow, ladies and gentlemen Clark Kent, Mr. Excitement…come on Clark are you telling me that you didn't do anything…"

"Like what?"

"Well you were on vacation…generally people do interesting things on vacation…you know, they ski…go skydiving…that sort of thing."

"Well I'm not too fond of heights and besides, being around you is exciting enough…"

Lois smiled sarcastically as she dug into her food, not caring about manners as she chomped her way through a burger in seconds. Clark tried to hold back a laugh as he tried to eat his own meal. Lois could be irritating sometimes but that was part of the reason he loved her. She was never afraid to speak her mind and do whatever she wanted.

"So what have you been doing while I've been gone? Miss me?"

"Of course…you're my resident spellchecker. I've bee checking out this rogue Superman story, though I don't believe a word of it."

"Excuse me…what rogue?"

"Smallville must be cut off from the rest of the world…Superman's apparently gone go the dark side…he robbed a bank, defaced landmarks…it's been on every news station for the last 24 hours…"

"That's impossible…"

"Tell me about it…though some people say that the idea that a man can fly is impossible. It just doesn't add up…one minute he's putting out fires on an oil rig and the next he's walking into a bank and stealing money."

Clark thought for a moment. Aside from some rescues, he hadn't been on the world stage for a while. He had been busy with Kara, but when he came back to civilisation he found himself faced with a big problem. He was being set up and he knew it. Lois was a reporter, and very good at sniffing out deception and uncovering clues. Clark thought about flying off to discover what was going on himself but he decided to stay with Lois and hope she could help him figure it out.

City Hall:

"Mr. Mayor…are you sure about this? Maybe this rock can hurt Superman but Lex Luthor can't be trusted…he has his own motives."

"Of course he does…who doesn't these days? But if Superman has turned against us we need to take all necessary steps to prevent him from causing greater damage."

It was the toughest decision he ever had to make. Superman was a hero, especially in Metropolis and the very thought of using deadly force against the Man of Steel sent a shiver down his spine. Today would be recorded as a dark day for the city.

Daily Planet:

Lois and Clark had gone to the Planet, hoping to find clues in past articles that would give them insight into Superman's apparent change. Clark began to wonder himself about the situation. He was the only one on Earth who knew for sure that he hadn't committed those crimes but if he couldn't prove it, he would either have to turn himself in or give up being Superman forever. Clark knew that without the trust of the human race, he could never truly protect them. He didn't have time to ponder the situation though as Lois interrupted his thoughts.

"This just doesn't add up. There's nothing in here that would indicate any change in Superman's behaviour and motives…and I should know, I wrote most of these articles."

"Maybe it's not Superman…maybe it's an impostor."

"With powers like he has?"

"It's happened before."

"But Zod is in prison Clark, it couldn't be him. It just doesn't make any sense."

Clark thought about Kara. Could she have been responsible for what was happening? No, she had been with him in the Fortress the whole time and reports had specifically stated that the one responsible looked like Superman. As Lois scratched her head, wondering what to make of everything, Clark picked up a sound in the city.

It was faint but his ears could just about make it out. It was the sound of a baby crying. Clark focussed and tuned into the sound. The child seemed to be alone and the only other sounds near by were coming from passing cars. Something was definitely wrong.

Lois was running a web search, looking through video footage of Superman at the Nou Camp that had appeared on the Internet, hoping to find an answer for Superman's behaviour.

"Hey Clark, take a look at his. I can't put my finger on it but there's something just not right about this Superman…maybe it's his walk or the way he stands or something…I just don't……Clark?"

Lois looked around the room. She could see Jimmy in the corner chatting up the new intern without much success. Perry was in his office, looking afraid as his wife shouted down the phone at him for working during his day off and other staff members were going about their daily routines but there was no sign of Clark.

"Clark Kent, never around when you need him…"

In fact, Clark was in an empty office moving towards an open window. Taking a final look around, he removed his glasses and let himself fall through towards the street below. However he never made it to the bottom as in seconds his clothes had changed and he was now flying high above the city as Superman.

As he hovered above the tallest skyscrapers, Superman focussed his vision, looking down on the street below. He knew that his reputation had been hurt and he knew he couldn't protect the world without the trust of the people he saved. He spotted a pram in the middle of the road, dangerously close to passing traffic.

Without hesitation, Superman flew down to street level and approached the pram. When he looked inside he was shocked. There was no baby, just a doll and a small device transmitting false cries. He knew instantly that it was a set-up.

Superman heard a bang and the sound of an object breaking through the sound barrier, approaching him. Clark turned as the bullet ended up grazing his cheek. He didn't realise at first, but the bullet had drawn blood. Another bullet flew through the air pushing through into his shoulder.

Kal-El felt the pain immediately and knew what it was. Kryptonite. Everything seemed to spin around him as the lethal effects started to show. His legs began to grow weak as he stumbled and struggled to stand.

He heard another sound, something else approaching him…but it was different, not like a bullet. Clark didn't have time to look though as he found himself being forced backwards, crashing into the side of a truck. Shaking his head, Clark looked up as he tried to stand.

His face told the whole story. The snipers who had been positioned to shoot Superman also saw what he saw and couldn't believe it. Suddenly it all started to make sense. The rescues, saving the world…that was Superman. The criminal acts…that was Superman…but not the same one who had defeated Zod.

"Target is down…but, I think we got the wrong one…"

"…What do you mean? What's going on out there captain?"

"Sir…there's two of them…there's Superman…and there's another one."

Standing above Superman was someone who looked almost exactly like him, apart from the suit, which looked similar but obviously wasn't made from Kryptonian fabrics like Clark's. Superman struggled to come to terms with what he was seeing as the impostor walked towards him, picking him up by his cape and swinging him before slamming him back down to the ground hard.

Superman had no time to recover as the false Superman kicked him before lifting him up and punching him in the stomach, then flying up into the air and crashing back down at speed. Superman was getting weaker and weaker as the bullet in his shoulder continued to emit kryptonite radiation through his body. He tried to stand up and face his opponent but the impostor was on him immediately, smashing his face into the ground. Lifting Superman up, he began to squeeze his skull, hoping to crush it and kill Superman who tried desperately to find away to fight back, but the kryptonite was sending pain through his body.

The impostor squeezed harder, ready to kill the one who had insured his creation. His grip disappeared though as he found himself flying through the air, away from Superman having been kicked viciously from behind. Recovering, he turned to see a girl standing over Superman, protecting him. She was wearing similar clothing to the Man of Steel and her eyes burned like fire as she sent blasts of heat towards the impostor. Superman could hardly believe his eyes at first.

"Kara…?"

"Take it easy Kal-El, I've got this…"

Kara Zor-El was revealing herself to the world as she flew at the impostor, knocking him backwards, then flying past him at speed, letting her knee move across into his back.

"And what are you called?"

"I'm Superman…"

"No, that guy you've been fighting…that's Superman…you're something else."

The impostor looked at Superman, then at Kara, remembering his creator Lex Luthor who would refer to his birth as Project: Bizarro, in reference to the unnatural way he was created.

"Call me…Bizarro."

"Bizarro? Let me guess…you live on Bizarro World, with Bizarro boys and Bizarro girls…"

"Mock me all you want little girl…but I will kill you and then Superman…if the kryptonite doesn't get him first."

Kara didn't reply. Instead she flew at Bizarro, dodging and countering a punch, moving up and kicking across his face before dropping underneath him and catching his legs, forcing him to fall to the ground as Kara flew into the air and dropped straight down, her knee ploughing into his chest.

Behind her, Kara could hear Clark's groans of agony as the kryptonite threatened to kill him. Making a decision, Kara punched and kicked Bizarro across the city, before rushing to Superman and picking him up, then flying in the opposite direction.

She could feel the effects of the kryptonite and she began to weaken, but she was determined to keep her cousin safe as her eyes scanned they city for a suitable place to hide. Finally, she found a newly built warehouse that her eyes couldn't see through. It was lined with lead. Lex Luthor had built it so that he could operate without being vulnerable to Superman. But today it was going to help hide Superman from the Bizarro creature.

Bizarro was in the sky above, searching the city as Kara tried to help her cousin. There wasn't a lot of kryptonite in the bullet, just enough to kill Superman. Kara wasn't as badly effected by the radiation but she could still feel it.

"Come on Kal-El help me out here…"

"Kara what are you doing here? You've got to get away."

"Thanks very much for saving me Kara…oh you're welcome Kal-El, anytime…"

"No need to be sarcastic…I am grateful thank you…but you need to leave before he finds us."

"No way…you're in no condition to fight. We need to get that bullet out of you. Tell me what to do."

"You're going to have to burn through the wound, make it bigger so you can reach in and get the bullet out."

"No way, are you crazy?"

"It's the only way…"

"It's gonna hurt like hell…and if you scream that copy is gonna find us."

"Do it…"

Kara sighed to herself as her eyes started to focus on the wound, her vision zooming in to get a clearer view as she released a steady stream of heat towards Kal-El's shoulder. He grimaced as his cousin burned through him, trying to keep from crying out at the immense pain he was feeling. Finally when she felt the wound was big enough, Kara reached in with her fingers, hoping to find the bullet.

"This is beyond disgusting."

Feeling around, Kara found the metal and began to pull it out as Clark bit down on a corner of his cape to stop himself from screaming in pain. The bullet was out, and Kara's fingers seemed to burn as she held the kryptonite. Instinctively, she threw the bullet across to the far end of the warehouse, giving both Kryptonians a chance to recover.

"Thank you. Now go."

"You're gonna fight him by yourself? I don't think so."

Kara helped her cousin to stand and began to walk with him outside where the sun would help to heal him. Superman searched the skies, looking for Bizarro as his body slowly began to heal under the suns glow.

"Kara please…I have to fight him alone."

"Don't give me any crap about not being ready Kal-El, I'm going with you. You don't need to protect me."

"It's not just that. This impostor has been pretending to be me, committing criminal acts in my name. It's not about reputation, it's about trust. The people of Earth need to know they can trust me. That's why I have to fight him myself."

"Alright…but if he kicks the crap out of you, I'm stepping in…"

"Deal. Now go, please.

Kara reluctantly left her cousin and flew across the city, touching down on the spire of one of the tallest buildings in the city, waiting. Her eyes and ears tuned into sights and sounds from across the city as people on the street below looked up at her, amazed. She saw Bizarro approaching her at speed, stopping just in front of her.

"Hello again little girl…where's your friend? Dead?"

"Just wait, he'll be here…I'd love to fight you myself but I promised him the first round."

"Oh really…well where is he then?"

Kara was looking up towards the sky where she saw her cousin bathing in the rays of the sun, allowing the solar energy to penetrate him and restore his strength. She watched as he flew back down towards the city, charging at full speed towards Bizarro. Kara just stared at the impostor and smiled.

"Take my advice…turn around."

Bizarro couldn't react as Superman charged into him and sent him tumbling across the city. Superman was after him straight away, like a missile, his fists clenched out in front of him as he bombed straight into Bizarro's chest, then moving underneath, catching his legs and swinging him around before slamming him in to the ground below.

Bizarro stood up and retaliated, sending an intense blast of heat towards Kal-El, forcing him to block and adjust his position. Bizarro crashed into him, swinging with deadly power and accuracy as he connected with a flurry of punches to Superman's face and chest.

They rose up into the air again, punching and countering, fighting without restraint as they launched attack after attack at each other. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Superman as he saw an incoming punch and dodged, flying up over Bizarro and connecting with a lethal kick to the head, before spinning around and pushing his fist through Bizarro's face.

"You…you won't lose…win…you'll win…"

"Of course I'll win, I'm the real me…"

"Yes…no…you won't win…"

Bizarro seemed to be struggling with his words as Superman connected with another attack. His mind was filled with random thoughts as he tried to make sense of everything while continuing to fight Superman. Every punch and kick seemed to worsen his condition as he grew pale and his body began to twitch and react like he'd been electrocuted.

Superman noticed this and stopped his furious attack, focussing his vision, seeing through Bizarro and zooming in to a microscopic level. What he saw astounded him as he examined Bizarro's cellular make-up.

"You're a clone…"

"Clone…? I'm Superman."

Bizarro attacked Kal-El again, his body flipping upside down, kicking out at Clark, then readjusting and striking with his fists. Superman struck back with a devastating punch, sending Bizarro crashing into an electronic billboard, sending surges of electricity through his body. Clark knew what was happening. Whoever had created Bizarro had made a mistake. He was unstable and the more energy he used to fight Superman, the more his cells began to break down.

Bizarro didn't seem to know where he was as he recovered and began to fly over the city. He crashed through a large satellite dish and continued flying. The dish began to fall rapidly from the tall skyscraper towards the street below. A young woman and her son were unaware as it threatened to fall on top of them. By the time they realised and looked up, it was too late to move and they stretched up with their arms hoping to shield themselves.

The dish never hit them though and is they looked to see what was going on, they saw Kara Zor-El holding the large dish, smiling at them as she flew into the air. Bizarro was flying out towards the sea, not really sure where he was going, crashing into anything that stood in his way. Kara ended up flying below, catching anything that came down from the roofs above.

Superman saw his cousin saving the day and smiled as he followed Bizarro, knowing that Kara had things covered in Metropolis. They ended up out at sea…hovering as Bizarro's brain tried to issue clear and correct commands to his body. His skin had become as white as snow, his body falling apart, but still there was one thing clear in his mind...he had to kill the one who looked like him.

Bizarro attacked Superman, using up more energy as he moved faster, swinging with intense speed, knocking Kal-El into the water below. Bizarro followed and they began to fight underwater, swimming at each other and kicking out, their bodies twisting as they dodged and countered each other. Finally, Superman grabbed Bizarro and threw him upwards out of the water and high up into the air.

"Stop this. The more you try to fight, the more energy you are using."

"You must live…die…"

Superman knew that Bizarro wasn't going to last much longer without help. He tried to reason with the clone, tried to make him understand but it was no use. Bizarro's mind was jumbled, confused. Whenever he spoke, the words seemed to come out wrong, his heart began to slow as his brain started to shut down. Intense pain spread through is body as his cells started to break down and tear him apart from the inside.

"Save me…"

"How? Tell me…what can I do? Who did this to you?"

"Please…save me…"

"How do I save you?"

"No…SAVE me…"

Bizarro knew that Superman didn't understand. He barely understood himself. The words coming from his mouth weren't the words in his mind. He focussed, trying to clear his mind even as his body failed and began to collapse and come apart.

"Save…kill…kill me…"

Superman didn't get a chance to respond as Bizarro screamed in agony, his body shutting down as he began to fall from the sky, life leaving his fragile body. His last words sent anger through Superman.

"Save Luthor…"

He plummeted towards the water below, splashing through and descending into the dark depths, his body finally giving out on him. Superman pondered Bizarro's last words. He had obviously meant to say kill Luthor. Kal-El knew then that Lex Luthor had created Bizarro and as the clone's lifeless body rested on the seabed, Clark sped across the sky towards Metropolis.

LexCorp:

Lex Luthor smiled as a familiar face approached him, flying through an open window.

"Is it done? Is he dead?"

"He's dead."

"Good work and to think Brainiac thought I wasn't up to the job. All that's left is to kill that girl who's been flying around Metropolis…these damn Kryptonians keep showing up, well it's time we rectify the situation."

"I doubt that Brainiac will be pleased…"

Lex suddenly found himself against the wall being lifted off the floor, struggling to break the grip that was keeping him up.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm your creator, your father…put me down at once."

"I don't think so Luthor…"

"S…Superman?"

"Got it in one. Listen to me very carefully. Wherever you go, I'll be watching, whatever you do, I'll be there. Cover everything with lead and I'll break through. You won't be rid of me Lex. You will pay for what you've done."

Superman dropped Lex and began to walk towards the window, looking out at the city. Lex Luthor had become a dangerous threat to him and the planet. Kal-El knew that his alliance with Brainiac could spell doom for the Earth and he was determined to make sure it didn't happen.

"I told you before Superman, if you think you can bring me down, you need proof. Even with that, a conviction isn't guaranteed."

"Play the courts all you want Lex, bribe jurors, tamper with evidence…sooner or later you will make a mistake and I'll be there to make sure you pay the price."

Lex watched as Superman flew out the window and away from LexCorp before contacting Brainiac. He knew that the alien intelligence wouldn't be pleased that Superman was still alive.

"Hello Luthor, why have you contacted me? Is Kal-El dead?"

"Not quite…"

"So you've failed. I give you the technology to create your clone and still you can't defeat him…no matter."

"You don't seem very upset."

"I do not get upset. I knew you would fail. That is why I am sending Kal-El a little gift, something that will destroy him."

"No…we had a deal…I will kill him."

"It's too late…it's already on it's way. Superman will not survive."

"There's a problem…another one of those Kryptonians have shown up…a girl."

"Most likely a survivor from Argo, one ship did escape. I have anticipated this. Do not worry Luthor, you had your chance and you failed. Now you can sit back and watch as I send destruction down upon Kal-El…he will die."

Fortress of Solitude:

"I don't believe this…Supergirl? What kind of name is that?"

"I think it suits you…sounds cool."

"Cool? Kal-El you wear underwear over your suit and you wanna tell me what's cool? Who wrote this anyway? Lois Lane and Clark…Kent? You came up with this?"

"Actually I wanted to call you Powergirl…Supergirl was Lois' idea."

"Well I'm not using that name…I'm not a little girl."

"What about Superbrat?"

"Shut up…"

Clark laughed as his cousin tried to come to terms with the name the world now knew her by. He had wanted to keep her safe, but now that the world knew she existed, Clark knew that they would both need to prepare for the coming of Brainiac.

As they left the Fortress to go protect the world, neither of them were aware that a new threat was travelling through the solar system, approaching the planet. Clark was about to face an enemy deadlier than he could have ever imagined, an enemy that had just one thing on his mind…the death of Superman.


	5. Issue 15

Issue # 15 – DOOMSDAY

Metropolis:

It made no sound as it descended through the atmosphere. Nobody saw it coming, not even Superman. As it neared the city, it didn't turn or try to avoid collision as it crashed straight through the IRS building and emerged on the other side, crashing into the street below.

The people of Metropolis were stunned. As police arrived to block off the area around the capsule, no one could make any sense of it. Lois Lane was one of the first reporters to get to the scene and as Jimmy Olsen took photographs of the strange capsule, Lois looked skywards, expecting to see Supergirl. She knew that Superman was on the other side of the world, trying to prevent Mount Fuji from erupting.

Clark Kent had travelled to Japan to cover the story, so Lois knew she had a great chance of getting the exclusive on the mysterious alien craft that now rested in a crater in the centre of the city.

LexCorp:

"Are you sure it will work?"

"Do you doubt me Luthor? This weapon will ensure that the beast is destroyed after it has served its purpose. The planet will then be yours to control."

"What about Supergirl?"

"She is insignificant. The beast will eliminate her."

"This had better work Brainiac…"

The transmission ended and Luthor walked to the window, staring down at the space pod on the street below. Today was set to become an iconic day in world history.

Tokyo:

Superman flew into the volcano, surrounded by molten lava. He began to dig underground, creating a tunnel for the magma to pour through, releasing pressure and preventing eruption as the lava flowed through the tunnel and out to sea. He had saved the day once again.

Minutes later, Clark Kent was sitting in a restaurant, getting ready to enjoy the finer points of Japanese cuisine. He wasn't due back in Metropolis until the next day, so he decided to relax for a few hours, knowing that his cousin would be able to handle things around the world for a while.

Metropolis:

Steam started to rise from the capsule as the main hatch began to open. Lois thought she saw something inside, but she couldn't be sure. Grabbing Jimmy's camera out of his hands, she used it like a telescope, zooming in for a close up of the craft. It began to shake violently, and soon the ground around it was shaking too as the capsule was blown apart, sending debris everywhere. People began to run, except for Lois who remained firm, determined to get the story. Putting the camera down, she watched as the steam began to clear.

Her face told the whole story. Lois grew pale and began to back away slowly from what she was seeing. In front of her stood a being unlike anything she had ever seen. He was tall, muscular, like a Neanderthal. His bones seemed to come through his strange skin and his eyes had a look of real menace.

The being looked around, spotting the flashing lights of a police car parked near by. Drawn towards it, he swung his arm, striking the car and sending it flying through the window of a nearby fashion store.

The police opened fire immediately, round after round being aimed at the monster that stood before them. Bullets flew through the air and rebounded against him. The beast just smiled, picking up another car, intending to slam it down and crush the cops shooting at him.

He brought the car down but was stopped before it could do any damage. The beast looked confused as he saw a girl holding the other end of the car…Supergirl.

"You need to learn to play nice."

Kara took in some air and blew a strong gust of wind at the beast, sending him back across the street. Smiling to herself she turned back to the cops who were grateful to be still alive.

"I hate to ask…but do you mind if I use this? I need batting practice."

"Go ahead, the engine's totalled anyway."

Kara grinned as she held the car out and flew at speed towards the monster that was attacking the city, swinging the car and striking him. The monster pulled back his arm and swung violently, destroying the car as Kara tried to hit him again.

Lois had stayed to watch the battle between the beast and Supergirl. Each attack was more violent than the last, each punch created a sound that could be heard a mile away. She smiled to herself as she looked behind her, spotting Jimmy hiding in the background, having grabbed his camera back from Lois and went to find cover, only emerging for brief moments to take pictures.

Lois took out her phone and called her boss back at the Planet, describing what she was seeing. She was surprised that Superman hadn't shown up yet, but Supergirl was holding her own against the alien menace.

"Yeah Chief hold the front page…well Superman was always gonna save Tokyo, but this is a real slugfest…"

Lois paused as she watched Supergirl grab the beast and fly up into the air, then crashing back down causing the ground to shake as if an earthquake had just hit the city.

"…Trust me Chief…it's like doomsday down here…what do you mean it's a good name? We've got a major brawl going on down here…yeah I'm sure it will sell papers but that's not the…doesn't Doomsday sound a little clichéd…"

Kara and the monster continued to fight as Lois argued down the phone with Perry over the merits of the name, Doomsday. Supergirl found herself behind the beast, hoping to trip him up as she kicked low at his legs but the monster stood firm, turning and punching her in the stomach before driving his elbow into her face.

Tokyo:

Although alcohol didn't really affect Clark, he liked to have the odd drink, mostly just to fit in with the people he had chosen to protect. As he sat at the restaurant bar with a bottle in his hand, his ears picked up the sound of a TV in the corner, issuing a breaking news report. The report was in Japanese, but that was no problem for Clark who had learned many of Earth's languages in his time at the Fortress of Solitude.

Even if he hadn't been able to understand what was being said, the live images told the story. His cousin was engaged in a battle with a strange alien creature and it looked like he was matching her power. Clark knew she would need his help.

Without hesitation, he laid some money down on the bar and found the nearest exit. In a crowded city like Tokyo, it was hard to find a place to change but as he ran down a side street, he found a phone booth. Removing his glasses, Clark stepped inside and moments later, Superman was emerging and flying up into the sky and back towards Metropolis at full speed.

Metropolis:

The creature known as Doomsday showed no mercy as he pounded Supergirl with heavy punches to the rips as he held her up by her throat. In desperation, Kara kicked out hard, forcing them apart. She had precious little time to recover though as Doomsday charged at her, ramming into her and pushing her backwards through a concrete wall.

Kara was bruised but still able to carry on, flying directly at the beast, twisting through his legs and attacking from behind with a hard kick to the back of his head. She then began to blow outwards, hoping to force Doomsday to fall backwards through the air, however the beasts immense strength and power served to steady him as he walked through the gust of wind towards her.

Kara stopped blowing and instead hit Doomsday with an intense barrage of punches and kicks. Doomsday retaliated with a strong knee to her stomach before catching her long blonde hair and lifting her off the ground. Doomsday then proceeded to swing Supergirl around, slamming her into the ground over and over while maintaining his grip on her hair. Finally he swung her over his head, letting go and watching as she sped out of control across the street towards the Metropolis Affiliated News building.

As she neared the wall, Kara found herself being caught and slowed down gradually before she could crash into the building. Looking up, she saw Superman smiling back at her.

"It's alright I've got you."

"Kal-El…you've no idea how happy I am to see you."

"Rest…let me take care of this."

"Kal-El wait…this monster…whatever it is…it's strong, really strong…be careful."

"I will…"

Superman flew at Doomsday, landing just in front of him. He looked around at the damage, then at the small ship that had brought the creature to Earth. He had seen the design in the archives at the Fortress but it definitely wasn't a Kryptonian ship. In fact the technology belonged to a race of peaceful explorers who were now extinct, their planet in ruins because of the menace of Brainiac.

"Who are you…why are you here?"

Doomsday didn't answer. To onlookers the creature seemed like a mindless beast. He did have a mind though, and he did have intelligence. But Brainiac had made it dormant, while unlocking the primitive part of the creature's brain. All that Doomsday saw in his dreams was a single image…Kal-El. Brainiac had implanted images of Superman in his mind, creating an intense hatred towards the Man of Steel.

"I asked you a question…I won't let you hurt these people…"

Doomsday replied with violence, rage consuming him as he struck Superman with a surprisingly quick blow to the head. Kal-El responded in kind, using his speed to rush Doomsday and land a severe uppercut to the beast's chin, forcing him off his feet. Superman was in the air quickly, crashing back, down, his knee charging into Doomsday's chest.

Superman then picked the monster up and threw him up into the air, following after him and catching his legs. He swung Doomsday around for a moment, building momentum before launching him with a deadly throw back to the street below.

Cracks appeared on the road after Doomsday adjusted his body to land on his feet, with Superman approaching. The beast swung viciously, connecting with Kal-El's face before grabbing his cape and pulling him back in for another strong attack. Superman flipped upside down and delivered a spinning kick, then striking with both fists as he moved upright again.

Doomsday stumbled backwards, giving Clark the chance to ignite his heat vision sending a powerful blast of energy at the monster, causing some of the bones extending from his skin to melt away. Doomsday didn't even notice the pain, if he felt any at all and instead of grimacing he reached out and grabbed Superman's face and began to squeeze before letting go and striking with a strong head butt, then catching Superman's head again forcing it down as he brought his own knee up to connect with it.

LexCorp:

Lex Luthor watched the fight from his office, staring out the window at the immense battle between two titans. He knew that if Superman won, Brainiac would arrive and destroy the planet, but if the creature won, there would be nothing to stop him from creating a path of destruction that could wipe out the human race if left unchecked. Either way, it was a no-win situation for the planet, and more importantly, for Lex.

Luthor knew that Superman would be the only hope for the planet if Brainiac did come, however he had his own plans to rule the world. Lex could never think in small terms. For him, the big plan was the one to follow and Lex had a plan for everything.

As the fight continued across the city, Lex looked behind him, staring at a prototype weapon that could solve all his problems if he played his cards right…and Lex was good with cards, always cheating, always winning.

Centennial Park:

The battle had moved to the very centre of America's dream city. Much like Central Park in New York, Centennial Park was the jewel in the crown, a paradise closed off by immense skyscrapers, business and industry.

Trees were falling today though as Doomsday and Superman continued to battle ferociously. Doomsday ripped a large Oak from it's roots, swinging it like a bat and launching Superman through the air and into the World War II Memorial Fountain, shattering it.

Superman recovered and charged Doomsday, burning through the log with his heat vision before speeding up and punching the beast over and over before linking his fists together and bringing it down like a sledgehammer on Doomsday's head.

As Doomsday fell to the ground he stretched out immediately, grabbing Kal-El's legs and forcing him down before rolling on top of the Kryptonian. Doomsday began to pummel Superman with strong punches to the face, striking out almost like a gorilla, punching with his right fist, then his left, over and over as Superman began to bleed.

As Doomsday prepared to deliver the deathblow, Clark sent out a burst of heat energy that threatened to burn straight through Doomsday's eyes. Doomsday fell backwards, allowing Superman the chance to recover and stand up.

Crowds of people had entered the park to witness the ongoing battle, including Lois Lane and Supergirl, who was still recovering from her confrontation with Doomsday. Whenever she went to help her cousin though, he signalled her to stay back. He was still protective of her and he was determined to defeat the monster himself before it could hurt anyone else.

Dozens of people could only stand and watch as Superman and Doomsday faced off, charging at each other again. Doomsday swung, only for Kal-El to duck and strike Doomsday with a powerful punch with his right hand, then shifting his arm to deliver a strong elbow to the chest and come full circle with a wicked hook with his left hand.

Doomsday then retaliated with a deadly blow to the stomach, then bringing his forearm down on Superman's head before striking again with a double-fisted punch to the chest. As they fought, Superman seemed to be whispering to himself, but he was in fact talking to his cousin who was also whispering, knowing that their super hearing would enable them to talk without anyone else understanding even as Superman continued to go blow for blow with Doomsday.

"I don't think I can beat him Kara, he's too strong…"

"But you're matching every punch with one of your own."

"Yes, matching him, but I can't overpower him, at least not long enough to do any real damage…"

"So what do we do?"

"I don't know…just stay back and be ready."

Kal-El and Doomsday stood face-to-face now, matching each other blow for blow. Every punch carried a sound like thunder, sending shockwaves across the park, as the ground seemed to shake underneath them. Kal-El floated, then flipped, bringing his legs up in a kick before twisting and charging with his fists, only for Doomsday to dodge and strike back with a fierce uppercut.

As they continued to fight, Superman heard another voice, aimed directly at him, looking around briefly; his eyes zoomed in on the source of the voice, high atop the LexCorp building at the edge of the park.

"Superman, this is Lex Luthor. I know you can hear me so I just want you to listen. If your protégé wouldn't mind fighting in your place for a minute or two, I may have something that could help you defeat that monster. I'm aware you don't trust me, but I'm also aware that you need all the help you can get."

Superman thought for a second as he continued to fight against Doomsday. If Lex did indeed have a way to beat the alien creature, it may be the only chance the Earth had. Reluctantly, he signalled for his cousin to take over as he twisted away from Doomsday and flew to the roof of the LexCorp building while Kara charged the monster, attacking him with a vicious flurry of punches.

"Alright Luthor…spill it."

Lex was holding a strange device in his hands, almost like a rocket launcher, but it was obvious to Clark that the design wasn't of Earth origin. He knew the weapon must have come from Brainiac.

"Brainiac sent that creature here to destroy you Superman and while I would like to see that happen, that monster is too powerful to control and without you around, it could go on an unstoppable rampage."

"Since when do you care about the welfare of others?"

"I don't. However it serves my interests to make sure that creature is destroyed."

"What makes you think your weapon will have any effect?"

"It was designed to kill you. By now you will have tried to look inside with those x-ray peepers of yours. It's lined with lead because of the primary energy source…kryptonite. It's based on the same design as Metallo's energy blaster but far more powerful. Get him in range and this weapon will disintegrate him."

"What makes you think I'll trust you?"

"Brainiac's interests conflict with my own…make no mistake Superman, I will kill you, but not until you have served your purpose."

"How noble…"

"Spare me the sarcasm. This is your only chance to stop that thing."

"Fine…but don't think you can play games with me Luthor."

Lex smiled, resting the weapon on his shoulder, preparing to activate it as Superman flew back down to the park and charged straight into Doomsday who had been trying to crush Supergirl's skull. Kara had heard the conversation and as her cousin resumed the fight against Doomsday, she whispered, questioning his reasoning.

"You can't trust Lex Luthor…"

"I know Kara, but it's the only way."

Doomsday slammed Kal-El's face into the ground, and then threw him into the large pond at the centre of the park. As the monster walked to the edge of the pond, there was no sign of his opponent. Confused, he looked around then tried to look into the water. It was then that Superman rose from the bottom of the pond, surprising Doomsday who let his guard down, allowing Superman to get a firm grip and rise into the air, with his enemy trying to kick and punch his way out of the binding hold.

Luthor waited as Doomsday and Superman came into range, but he didn't fire. Lois Lane looked skywards at Superman and Doomsday, then across the park towards LexCorp where Luthor was standing. Fear ran through her body as the realisation of what was happening hit her like a ton of bricks.

Lex had a clear shot at Doomsday, but he waited for Superman to appear from behind the monster, hoping to destroy the Man of Steel. Lois knew Lex Luthor…she knew what was happening, and she began to scream at Superman.

"Don't do it…he'll kill you."

"I have to Lois, it's the only way."

"No…please…"

"I'm sorry Lois…"

"No…no, no, no…you can't…"

Tears began to stream down Lois' face as she watched Doomsday try to get free of Kal-El's grip. Kara sensed what was happening but she was paralysed, unable to move as her mind conflicted with her emotions. Superman smiled at them both before turning, giving Luthor a clear shot, knowing that he wouldn't fire until he had Superman in his sights. He smiled one last time at Lois, wishing he could wipe away her tears.

"Goodbye…"

Lois' final words to Superman were whispered under her breath so that only Superman could hear her.

"I love you…"

Lex Luthor smiled as he locked in the target, the weapon humming to life as it charged and prepared to fire a concentrated blast of kryptonite at Superman and Doomsday who were hovering in the air in front of him over the park.

"Two birds…one gun…"

He fired. An intense beam of energy shot across the sky, giving the area a strange green glow as it struck Doomsday dead on. At the last second, Superman turned his body again so that the monster would get most of the blast, but as his grip loosened and Doomsday began to fall apart, the kryptonite energy intensified. Finally Doomsday's dead body was forced out of Kal-El's hands and blown out into the ocean, leaving Superman to be hit by more energy.

Kryptonite spread rapidly through his body, destroying him from the inside as he struggled not to cry out in agony. As the weapon discharged the last blast of energy, Luthor smiled. Superman hovered for a moment, then suddenly he began to fall out of the sky, descending rapidly and crashing violently into the park below, creating a small crater.

Supergirl was by his side straight away, noticing that the S-shield on his chest seemed to glow for a moment before fading. She felt weak. Kal-El had been saturated by kryptonite radiation. Nevertheless, she stayed with her cousin, pressing her fingers hard against his neck to check his pulse.

As Lois approached, Kara pressed harder, hoping to find anything that would indicate that he was alive. Using her x-ray vision, she scanned his body, searching for a heartbeat, anything. Finally, she turned to the gathered crowd and to Lois, speaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"He's gone…he's gone…Superman is…dead…"

There was silence. Centennial park…the entire city…everything seemed to stand still. Then the first tears were shed, the sound of weeping spread across the city. Lois Lane collapsed in grief as she tried to comprehend what had happened.

By sunset, the only sounds in the city were those of people crying, men and women alike. Across the world, the news broke of the tragic events in Metropolis. The planet Earth was united in sorrow and pain as they mourned their greatest hero.

In Central City, The Flash paid tribute to the Last Son of Krypton, calling for a national day of mourning to remember the deeds of a hero who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

In New York, Wonder Woman spoke at the United Nations, taking Flash's request even further and suggesting that a day of mourning be held not just in America, but also across the globe.

In Gotham, Bruce Wayne pledged $10 million to children's charities in Superman's name, while his alter-ego, Batman replaced the bat-signal with Superman's symbol that shone into the night sky until dawn.

Nobody could quite believe what was happening. Even criminals that Superman had captured vowed to honour his memory; such was the effect he had on people. In Smallville, Martha Kent prayed for her son. It hadn't sunk in yet and she kept expecting Clark to walk through the door.

Lois Lane didn't sleep, she couldn't. The man she loved was gone. She cried for hours, lost in unending pain as she struggled to come to terms with a future without Superman.

Three Days Later…

The city of Metropolis was overflowing. People had come from all over the world to pay their respects to the Man of Steel. They all wore black armbands with a silver S-shield in memory of their hero as they flocked from far and wide to say goodbye to Superman.

Lois Lane had called it a travesty that Lex Luthor had been allowed to pay to build a tomb for Superman in Centennial Park, stating that he had murdered Superman. Ultimately, it didn't matter though; Lois was too consumed with grief to challenge Lex Luthor. Crowds of people walked behind the coffin that carried Kal-El's body. It was carried by some of Earth's greatest protectors, all of whom wanted to show how much they respected and missed him.

Everyone cried that day as Superman's body was placed in the tomb. It didn't matter what country a person was from, what their religious or political beliefs were. Superman was a hero for everybody and as Lois Lane tried to hold back her tears, her voice shook as she spoke to the millions of people in Metropolis that day and every single one of them listened.

"He came to us from beyond the stars. I called him Superman…the name stuck. All over the world he became a symbol for hope and the idea of a better future for us all. He saved us time after time and never asked for anything in return. But his legacy is so much more than stopping natural disasters. He saw something in us…he believed in the human race even if we struggled to believe in ourselves. He wasn't born on this world but he was more human than any of us…Superman embodied the true spirit of humanity…"

Lois paused, overwhelmed by the event as she fought with herself, trying desperately not to cry. Everyone understood though. They were all feeling the same way. She thought about Clark, who had been last seen in Tokyo and had gone missing. He was a true friend and she wished that he was there with her to comfort her. Above all, she just hoped that he was alright, not knowing that he was there, in the tomb.

"…The first time I interviewed Superman, I asked him why he did it, why he chose to help us. He told me that if his example, his guidance, his faith in humanity could help us…that if for one day, just one…just one day…there could be peace across the world, then at least we would know that it's possible and perhaps it would inspire us to create a better future, and that would be worth any price he could pay…. well Superman, today there is peace. On this day, there is no war, no fighting…the world is united because of you…tomorrow it may go back to the way it was but at least we know…at least we know that it's possible…you were the greatest of us all…thank you Superman…thank you for inspiring us…"

Her emotions took control as Lois began to cry openly. She couldn't speak anymore as tears flowed down her face. Floating above the park, Kara Zor-El cried for her cousin. The last of her family was gone, now she was alone, just like Kal-El had been. Kara made a vow that day to continue what her cousin had started. Supergirl could never replace Superman, but she would give her life defending the planet in his name.

Superman was laid to rest in the tomb, above which stood a statue in his memory. It was Superman, his arms by his side, looking up towards the sky. Superman was gone, but his legacy would live on in the hearts of the people of Earth forever.


	6. Issue 16

Issue #16 – MOVING ON

A month after Superman's death, the world was still grieving. Everyday at 3:23PM, the time of his death, the world would fall silent and show their respect for the Man of Steel. Life after Superman was strange. Hope was disappearing, life had to move forward.

Metropolis:

Lois spent the first month isolated, alone, and afraid that the world would see her as being weak if they saw her tears. Her final words to Superman told him how she felt about him. She loved Superman. So did everybody else. But for her it was much deeper than a crush on a hero. For Lois, it was painful. Her body was in agony as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that he was gone.

After a month of mourning, Lois Lane returned to work. Supergirl had become a major story and Perry had hoped that Lois' connection with Superman would help her to form a bond with Supergirl and give the Daily Planet the exclusives. It wasn't the same though, and as Lois looked around the office, there was a notable absentee.

"Jimmy…where's Clark?"

"He's…Mr. Kent never came back from Tokyo…he's missing. You didn't know?"

"I've been locked up in my apartment for the last month Jimmy, I don't know anything."

"Ok well, Clark went to Tokyo to cover Mount Fuji's eruption…the same day Superman died. The Chief went to Tokyo himself to try to find him but he was nowhere to be found. He called in favours at the Embassy there, he did everything…but Clark seems to have disappeared without a trace..."

Clark Kent had become a close friend in his time at the Daily Planet and he was the one person Lois could turn to but now that he was gone, there was a hole in Lois' heart. The two men in Lois' life who weren't complete jerks were gone. But Lois refused to accept it.

She stormed into Perry's office, refusing to the Supergirl story and threatening to quit if Perry didn't let her try to track Clark down. Perry however would have let her go anyway. As far as he was concerned, Lois Lane was the best reporter at the Planet and if anyone could find Clark, she could.

"…Alright Lois. Go and find him…bring him home…"

Lois started work immediately. Finding Clark was about more than getting a friend back, it was a way for her to put Superman out of her head as she concentrated solely on the task at hand.

She started with Clark's family, phoning his mother, Martha Kent who seemed a little reluctant to talk about Clark and while she tried to hide it, Lois could hear it in her voice, she thought Clark was dead. Lois' heart went out to Martha but despite the despair in her voice, Lois knew she couldn't listen. She had to press on.

"…and you're sure he didn't board the flight?" Alright thank you for your help."

Lois put the phone down, having spoken to the airline. She was confused. All indications were that Clark had gone to Tokyo but there was no record of him boarding the plane or getting off in Japan. Lois was putting two and two together and getting zero.

"Hello…uh…do you speak English…English…yes this is Lois Lane of the Daily Planet in Metropolis…yeah the one who wrote the Superman stories…well thank you…anyways, I was wondering if you could give me some information about someone who stayed at your hotel…ok I'll wait…"

Lois looked around the office, Jimmy was trying to chat up yet another intern and as usual he wasn't having much success. He waved to Lois and turned back to see that the girl was gone. Lois was so distracted she barely heard the voice at the other end of the phone.

"What? Yes I'm here…Could you confirm that Clark Kent checked in to your hotel six weeks ago…thank you…when did he leave?…he didn't check out? Are you sure? Thanks for the info…"

It didn't make sense. Perry and Jimmy were right. It was like Clark had left the planet. There was only one thing Lois could do. She had to go to Tokyo.

Smallville:

Martha hadn't gone to the funeral. She couldn't get her head around what had happened and even after a month, it still hadn't sunk in for her. Superman was dead, but Martha still looked to the front door all the time, hoping that her son would walk in the door.

She was on the phone, talking to a reporter from the Daily Planet who was looking for Clark. Martha recognised the name, Lois Lane. Her son had mentioned her lots of times, but as she tried to hold her emotions in, Martha struggled to hide the fact that she knew Clark was dead.

Kara had told her that even after death, it was better that the world didn't know the truth about Clark Kent because someone out there might still want some measure of revenge against Superman and the last thing Clark would want is to risk the lives of his friends and family.

Martha tried to live her life and work on the farm. But whenever her thought dwelled on her son, she would burst into tears. Kara would come by to help out and while Martha was grateful for the help, she knew that Kara had more important things to worry about than her.

With Clark gone, Supergirl would be needed more and more. But no matter how often Martha tried to get Kara to concentrate more on her role as a protector, the young Kryptonian wouldn't hear of it. Martha had taken her in and helped her deal with the death of her family and Kara was determined to be there for her cousin's foster mother.

Martha knew the truth about Clark. She began to wish and hope that it was a dream and that Clark and Superman were in fact two different people. It was wishful thinking though and as she began to accept that her son was gone, Martha became withdrawn and isolated. She lived day to day without dreams, without hope.

Metropolis:

Supergirl hovered above the city, her eyes closed as she thought about events in her life over the past month. When her cousin died, Kara had taken on the role of protector. After Kal-El's death, Kara hadn't gone back to the Fortress. She knew that the great structure would only remind her of him and she wasn't ready to face that yet.

Her ears picked up the sound of police sirens and radio chatter on the streets below. Scanning the area, Kara saw a large truck moving through downtown being chased by a group of police cars. She sprang into action immediately, flying down to join the chase, following behind the truck, waiting for a clear stretch of road before grabbing onto the back of the truck and forcing it to stop.

It was too easy for her. Within seconds, Kara was holding two criminals up in the air, waiting for the police to catch up. In the back of her mind, Kara knew that there were much deadlier threats than common criminals out there but she knew she had to focus on more immediate matters.

"Thank you Supergirl, if the chase kept going any longer, someone could have been seriously hurt."

"No need to thank me Officer, they're all yours."

"I'm really getting sick of these guys."

"What do you mean? You've dealt with them before?"

"Yeah…they're members of an underground criminal organisation, Intergang. They've been smuggling weapons into Metropolis to sell them on the black market for weeks but whenever we get close to shutting them down, they disappear and set up shop somewhere else."

"Do you want me to look into it and see if I can help?"

"Well the FBI are in charge of the investigation but I'm sure they'd welcome the help."

Supergirl waited until the police had arrested the two criminals who were driving the truck before taking off across the city, flying to the Metropolis branch of the FBI to study the Intergang case files.

LexCorp:

He had won. Superman was dead and now Luthor could concentrate on turning a dream into reality. There was still Supergirl to deal with but Lex was confident that she posed no serious threat to him. Times were changing. LexCorp's stock was rising as it's owner began making deals across the globe to implement his plan for a worldwide energy grid.

"…Superman is dead Brainiac, now it's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain…"

"What about Supergirl?"

"She wasn't part of our deal…but I'll kill her for free…now I want that technology."

"In time Luthor…for now I'm sending you the plans you will need to build your grid."

Everything was going well for Luthor. A month after the death of Superman, LexCorp had begun construction of new converter plants across the planet. The concept was simple. The energy grids of every country on Earth would be linked up to LexCorp's line and when the world was ready, Lex would activate the new kryptonite grid to supply power to the world for years to come.

"…Believe me Mr. President, I understand your concerns but I can assure you that they are unwarranted. In fact I'm in constant contact with the UN, who are regularly sending inspectors to ensure that safety doesn't become an issue…"

"It's not safety I'm worried about Luthor. I'm uncomfortable with the thought that the country's…indeed the whole world's supply of energy will be under the control of one man."

"LexCorp will maintain the grid, however we are working with state and independent companies all over the world who will be deeply involved in the process of managing and regulating everything to do with the grid."

"Very well Lex, send me your proposals and I will look them over. If I feel it is a beneficial project I will present it to Congress."

"Thank you Mr. President…"

Things were indeed going well for Lex Luthor. After Superman's death, the public blamed him but Luthor insisted that it was Superman who made the choice to sacrifice himself and as Lex pressed ahead with his plans, public opinion began to sway quickly. The world was within his grasp.

Suicide Slums:

Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim sat behind his desk, smiling viciously at the girl standing across from him. Having read through the Intergang files at the FBI, Kara Zor-El's first course of action was to track down the man in charge and let him know that she would be around, watching him, hoping to put fear and doubt into his mind. Mannheim didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest.

"…I appreciate you coming down to check on our operation here Supergirl, but I can assure you that what we're doing here is perfectly legal."

"Really? Well the FBI seems to think differently."

"Ah yes, the FBI. Their concern is really unwarranted. They've been investigating us for years. They seem to think that we're some sort of criminal organisation called Intergang but I can assure you that it is not the case."

"And what exactly do you do here?"

"We are a charitable organisation, we work to get kids off the streets and into stable and safe environments."

"Well I'll be watching closely…you never know who might try to take advantage of your charity…"

Supergirl flew through the window and off into the distance then doubling back and landing on a roof across from the Intergang building. She listened, focussing in on the sounds coming from the building.

"…she's onto us. What do we do?"

"Relax, we must accelerate our operations. Move the last shipment up to tomorrow night."

"What about the coast guard?"

"I'm sure you can arrange for them not to be in the warehouse district when you bring them in."

"Sure…but you better not double-cross me Desaad."

"Don't worry, my master has given you a great gift with these weapons and soon a new age will begin. Get the shipments ready…"

Supergirl smiled as she listened. She was counting on the fact that Mannheim would be worried about her looking into his operations and now she had a time and place to intercept a weapons shipment and obtain the proof needed to shut down Intergang.

As she flew through Metropolis, Kara noticed smoke in the distance. Increasing her speed she rushed to the scene, where fire fighters were engaged in a battle against a fire in an apartment building that was threatening to engulf the entire street.

"Supergirl…thank goodness you're here."

"Is there anyone in there?"

"The building was evacuated but there's a little girl missing. We think she may be on the top floor but we can't get in there to help her."

Kara didn't answer. She was already speeding into the burning building. The flames didn't affect her as she flew up the stairs, using her eyes to scan through metal and wood, searching for the girl who had gotten trapped. Reaching the top floor, Kara heard soft whispers of a young child in tears.

Breaking through a burning door, Kara looked around the apartment. There was a bed in an adjacent room and Kara knew straight away that the girl was in there. Rushing in, she found nobody at first glance. In the corner, Supergirl spotted some slight movement under the bed. Lifting it she found the child who was obviously terrified. Kara extended her hand, speaking in a soft voice.

"Hey there, it's ok I'm going to get you out of here."

The child remained still reluctant to move. Kara knew that the girl was frightened and smiled reassuringly as she spoke again.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe, it's alright…come on."

The child stood up and walked slowly towards Supergirl, taking her hand. Kara looked around, knowing that the ceiling was in danger of falling down on top of them. Acting quickly, Kara lifted the girl up into her arms and flew out of the apartment and up the stairs to the roof, using her head to crash through the door before flying outside away from the building and touching down next to the fire truck.

The girl's parents cried with relief as Supergirl handed her over, scanning her body then telling them that she was alright.

"Thank you Supergirl…thank you so much."

"You don't have to thank me, I'm just glad I could help. Stand back ok…"

Kara waited until everybody got clear before turning back to the building, and taking a deep breath. She began to blow, creating an intense gust of wind to put out the fire. Finally, Kara rose into the air, using her x-ray vision to make sure that the fire had been extinguished before flying away as fire fighters and residents cheered and called after her, thanking her.

Tokyo:

She had touched down in Japan, just outside Tokyo and got straight to work without even bothering to meet with the guide Perry had arranged for her. Lois didn't speak a word of Japanese but that didn't matter to her. She needed to find Clark and she didn't have any time to spare.

"…and you're sure he didn't check out?"

"Yes, in fact there is still an outstanding bill to be paid."

"Contact the Tokyo office of the Daily Planet, they'll sort it out…"

Lois had gone to Clark's hotel, figuring that it was a good place to start. She never expected to find Clark at the hotel, but thanks to some of the guests she had interviewed, she had a lead. Lois had been told about a local restaurant-bar where someone matching Clark's description had been seen on the day of Superman's death.

"Excuse me…um hello…damn doesn't anyone speak English in this place?"

"…May I help you Miss?"

Turning, Lois came face-to-face with the manager of the restaurant. As she conversed with him she had her fingers crossed, hoping that the man would be able to point her in the right direction.

"…Ah yes, Clark Kent. Very good tipper."

"Do you remember when you saw him last?"

"Yes…I remember everything about that day. It was the day Superman stopped Mount Fuji from erupting and then…"

"The day he died…what about Clark?"

"He was here. He sat over there by the bar. He seemed relaxed but as soon as he saw Supergirl on the TV he ran out the door and never came back..."

Lois walked the streets of Tokyo, pondering the situation. The trail had gone cold. It seemed as if Clark didn't exist anymore. As she walked through the city, Lois spotted a large crowd gathering at a festival that celebrated Supergirl. The young heroine had become a big deal in Japan but even she couldn't replace the Man of Steel.

Lois didn't know what to do. She had gone to the American Embassy, spoken with other journalists in the city, she even took to hiring a car and driving down every street in the city, hoping to find Clark, but again she had come to a dead end.

Metropolis:

"…Come on, get these crates loaded. I don't wanna be here any longer than I have to."

Bruno Mannheim was worried. He knew that Supergirl could arrive at any moment to shut him down and he wanted to get away as fast as possible. Everything seemed to be going as planned, until Bruno felt a breeze brushing past him and as he looked around he found his thugs all lying on the floor rolling around in pain. The only one standing was a girl with red boots, cape and skirt with a blue top, Supergirl.

"Sorry Bruno, it's time to shut you down."

"Oh really? We'll see about that."

Bruno reached into one of the crates, taking out a strange looking weapon and aiming it at Kara. She stood her ground though, knowing full well that bullets couldn't hurt her. Kara was about to get a shock though as Bruno pulled the trigger. A surge of energy shot across the room, colliding with Supergirl, sending her cashing into the metal door.

"Impressed?"

"More like surprised…where did you get that? That weapon is too advanced to have been made on Earth."

"I don't know anything about that, but what I do know is that I'm going to kill you now."

Bruno fired again, sending blasts of energy towards Supergirl who struggled to get to her feet and dodged the blasts. Mannheim laughed as Kara tried to find cover, only to find it being blown apart by the energy weapon. Bruno aimed again and fired but this time nothing happened.

"Damn, no charge…well aren't you lucky."

Bruno paused and heard sirens the approaching sound of sirens in the distance. He looked at Supergirl who smiled back and shrugged her shoulders, watching as Bruno ran for the door trying to escape. Recovering, Kara ignited her heat vision, sending focussed beams ahead of Mannheim, welding the metal doors shut to prevent his escape.

Bruno turned around, finding Supergirl standing directly in front of him with some rope in her hands that she'd picked up on the warehouse floor. She tied him up quickly, flying up to hang him from the ceiling before breaking the door to allow the police inside.

All over Metropolis, FBI teams raided offices and underground meetings, making arrests and taking down Intergang operations. Somewhere in Suicide Slums, a hooded man watched the raids as he contacted his master.

"My lord, the human authorities have shut Intergang down."

"…No matter, you must return home to prepare for the assault."

"You're going to invade the Earth?"

"Yes Desaad, I am tired of operating in the shadows."

"But what about New Genesis? Will they not intervene?"

"Perhaps, but I will not be denied by High Father."

"What about the girl? She is Kryptonian…she wears the symbol."

"She is not the one…Kal-El is the key…"

"But he's dead master…"

"Nothing lasts forever…destroy all evidence of my involvement and return home."

"As you command…my lord Darkseid…"

Supergirl flew around the world, saving the day, trying to live up to the example set by her cousin. She tried to keep busy but every so often, when she was alone, she would break down in tears, remembering the lessons Kal-El taught her, the kindness he had shown to her and as time went by, she missed him more than ever.

Daily Planet:

Lois Lane sat in the office with Perry White and Jimmy Olsen, discussing Clark's disappearance. It had been hard for Lois having to leave Japan without finding him but she had vowed that she would not give up, no matter how long it took. If Clark wasn't in Tokyo then she would have to widen her search.

"It was weird Perry. A few people had seen him but then it's like he flew to the moon or something. We can't stop looking."

"We won't Lois. But if he's not in Japan, he could be anywhere…"

"It makes no sense. Clark isn't the type of guy to go missing like that."

"Are you kidding Jimmy? He was always going missing, especially when Superman was around…but now both of them are gone."

"So what do we do?"

"I'll contact my father. He has connections in military intelligence…maybe he can help."

"Sam Lane? I thought you and your father didn't get on?"

"We don't…but this is Clark we're talking about, we can't just abandon him..."

Krypton:

Brainiac's ship flew through the remains of the destroyed planet, using the chunks of rock as target practice as the ship's weapons blasted intense energy beams at the planetary graveyard. Brainiac was preparing, fine-tuning the weapons to gain maximum efficiency. Superman was dead, but there was another Kryptonian on Earth and Brainiac was tired of letting Luthor try to destroy his enemies for him.

"So Kal-El, you are gone…but your adopted world will soon suffer under my power. Death will be your legacy…"

As the ship turned and left Krypton, Brainiac began making plans to destroy the only home Kal-El had ever known, and without Superman, Earth wouldn't stand a chance.


	7. Issue 17

Issue #17 – THE RETURN

Atlantic Ocean – 10 Miles outside Metropolis:

It was an ordinary day for the crew of the fishing trawler, Athena. They sailed under clear blue skies, looking for the big catch. It had been a profitable season for those sailing on the Athena. Nets were dragged under the water, picking up fish, that would later be cleaned and sold at Metropolis' dockside markets. The fishermen had families and every season they would leave their loved ones for a life on the seas. This was the last day of the run and the trawler was making one last round before returning to port for a crew changeover.

"Hey Captain, cut the engines, the net's being strained. Must be caught on something."

Jack Reilly moved to the back of the boat, unhooking the nets, finding that something was dragging the net down. At first he thought it had been snagged on a rock or something but as he investigated he found that something heavy had been caught in it.

"What do you think? Big fish?"

"There's no sharks in these waters Jack, it's probably just a big rock or an old boot or something."

Jack and fellow fisherman Michael Byrne laughed as they began hauling the nets out of the water and onto the deck. Hundreds of fish poured out of the net, revealing the heavy object they had been covering.

"What the hell? Hey that looks like…"

Jack didn't get to finish his sentence as a strong arm rose up and struck him, crushing his skull. Michael grabbed a spear from the hold and tried to slice through the threat, only to find that it snapped in two against the being's skin and found himself being thrown off the boat into the cold waters.

Captain Dennis Williams watched horrified from the cabin as his crew were battling the creature and being killed with ease. He turned back in, picking up the radio, trying to drown out the screams behind him as he called for help.

"Athena to Coastguard…Coastguard, this is the trawler Athena, mayday…"

The captain was stunned into silence as a large fist came down on the radio, destroying it. Dennis staggered backwards, trying to escape but it was futile as the being's hand caught him and wrapped around his throat, lifting him off his feet. Its eyes were full of menace and it's voice sent terror through the captain.

"Where is Superman?"

Dennis didn't answer, he couldn't. Even if the hand around his throat wasn't preventing him from speaking, he was paralysed with fear. The creature let him drop to the floor, preparing to deliver a deathblow. As the being's fist pulled back and came down to kill him, Dennis uttered a final word before his death.

"Doomsday…"

Supergirl had picked up the sound of a mayday call and immediately took off towards the scene. As she flew over the ocean, her eyes focussed ahead, zooming in on a fishing trawler adrift in the water. Reaching the boat, Kara was shocked at what she found.

The deck was awash with blood. Bodies of the crew were scattered all over the ship along with hundreds of dead fish. In the cabin, Kara found the captain, his body torn apart, his head caved in on itself. Supergirl couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was nothing alive on the boat except for a couple of fish taking their last gasps.

Saddened, Supergirl moved behind the boat and began to push it into port as she tried to figure out what had happened. On the seabed below, Doomsday walked, the intense pressure not affecting him, the lack of oxygen not seeming to matter as he walked under the water towards Metropolis.

Daily Planet:

Jimmy Olsen snapped pictures of Perry White's office, capturing the familiar scene of Lois and Perry arguing over a story. It had been six months since Clark Kent had disappeared but Lois refused to accept that he was dead. It wasn't in her nature to give up.

"…Listen Lois, you have to stop this. Clark is gone, you need to move on."

"I don't believe that Chief, I know he's out there somewhere. We can't stop looking."

"Lois, we've looked everywhere. You can't keep dwelling on it. Look, your father has been working with Military Intelligence to try to track him down. If Clark is alive, Sam will find him. Now I want you to go down to the docks and check out this fisherman story."

"Get someone else to do it. If you won't help me then I'll find Clark on my own."

"Lois stop it. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

Lois dropped her press pass on Perry's desk and stormed out of the office. Perry followed after her, followed by Jimmy Olsen who had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Lois get back here now," Perry shouted. "Lois please don't make me suspend you…"

Lois turned around and looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her but she didn't care.

"No need Chief…I quit."

Lois Lane walked out of the Daily Planet building, leaving the people inside stunned into silence. As she walked along the streets of Metropolis, she struggled to hold back her tears, not knowing where to go or what to do.

LexCorp:

Lex Luthor sat in his office going over the details of the energy grid. Things were progressing quickly. Luthor had secured contracts to align 70 of the world's grids and connect them to his kryptonite reactor core.

As Lex crunched the numbers, he felt the room begin to shake; in fact the entire building seemed to be suffering from a localised earthquake. Lex was unmoved as furnishing toppled to the ground. The phone began to ring and as Luthor picked up, he heard the familiar voice of his limo driver and bodyguard, Mercy, on the other end.

"What is it Mercy?"

"It's…Doomsday Mr. Luthor…"

"What? That's impossible. Stop him."

Lex could hear screams in the background just before the phone went dead. He remained seated as he heard bullets ring out from outside his office. Then there was silence. Lex watched the door and waited. Cracks began to appear on the walls, then the wooden door was blown apart as the beast walked in, it's eyes focussed on Luthor.

"You…you work with Brainiac…"

Lex remained silent, sitting back in his chair and thinking about how to handle the situation. One wrong word and Doomsday would break him in half. Lex knew though that if he played it right, he would survive and perhaps even get the creature to work for him though Lex knew it was a long shot.

"Answer me Luthor…"

"Sorry…I'm just surprised to hear you speak. I was under the impression that you were a mindless beast."

"Don't mock me…I have a mind. A mind that was trapped under the control of Brainiac but now I am free of anyone's control."

Lex stood up and walked towards the window, facing away from the alien creature, looking out over Metropolis.

"Do you know what they call you…the people of this world? Doomsday…the destroyer…the beast."

"Doomsday? This day will be your doom Luthor."

Luthor turned around to find Doomsday in front of him, reaching out and grabbing his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"If you wish to live, tell me…where is Superman?"

"Superman? He's…he's dead."

"You lie…where is Superman?" Doomsday squeezed tighter.

"Alright, alright…let me down and I'll tell you."

Doomsday released Luthor who fell to the floor. Recovering, Lex stood up and walked to his desk, sitting down. His hand reached under the desk, pressing a button that activated the security system. Wall panels opened up revealing weapons turrets that released steady blasts of kryptonite energy at Doomsday.

The beast just stood there and smiled as the energy blasts had no effect on him. Luthor sat back, surprised, wondering how to get out of the situation he was in.

"You are a fool Luthor. You're kryptonite weapons may have defeated me once before but I have evolved since then. I can't be destroyed. Now tell me where Superman is or I will crush you for your deception."

"Superman is dead…I assure you. If you don't believe me, see for yourself."

Lex walked back to the window and pointed towards Centennial Park. Doomsday pushed past Luthor and jumped through the window, falling to the ground below and landing heavily on a passing car. Lex smiled to himself as he watched the beast begin to walk towards the park.

"This should be interesting…"

Centennial Park:

Lois Lane stood before the tomb of Superman, staring up at the statue as tears flowed down her face. There were two men in her life that made Lois smile and believe everything was ok, but those men were gone.

"I wish you could hear me Superman…why did you have to leave me? Listen to me, even now I'm being selfish…I just don't know what to do anymore…you're gone and Clark is…I don't know…"

Lois stopped speaking for a moment as she heard sounds coming from the Financial District. She could hear loud bangs, bullets…screams. Lois started to make a move towards the scene but stopped suddenly. She had quit her job. She wasn't a reporter anymore and she had no reason to go and investigate. That thought sent a chill through her. Lois loved being a journalist but she had thrown that away. Her heart just wasn't in it. Lois turned back to the tomb to talk to Superman, even though she knew that he couldn't hear her.

"You were always there to save me, but not anymore. I can't even turn to Clark. If you were here I know you could find him, but you both left me. It's almost as if Clark is…wait a minute…Superman dies and Clark disappears…what if Clark is Super…no…no don't be so ridiculous Lois, that's impossible. Lois Lane you're losing your mind. Clark is out there somewhere, I know it…"

Downtown:

Supergirl and Doomsday faced each other, throwing punches and kicks as they battled ferociously while police fired round after round at the beast. Doomsday grabbed Kara's hair and forced her down, bringing his knee up to her face hard, drawing blood before slamming her into the ground.

"Do not interfere girl, you cannot win. If Superman is dead then I will destroy his body and all hope that you cling to."

"I don't know how you survived, but I won't let you touch Superman."

Kara charged at Doomsday, igniting her heat vision and burning through the bones on his arm, causing him to call out in pain and anger. Doomsday retaliated by lifting a phone booth and throwing it at Supergirl. She dodged easily but found herself being thrown against a news van and punched in the stomach. Kara collapsed on the ground, trying to catch her breath as Doomsday turned away and continued to move towards the park.

Doomsday swung his arms, hitting anything and anyone who stood in his way. Cars and people went flying as Doomsday laid a path of destruction leading to Centennial Park. The iron gates at the entrance were bent and broken effortlessly, as Doomsday walked straight through.

Lois Lane turned around to see Doomsday approaching. She couldn't believe it. She didn't know how he was alive…it was like a nightmare. Doomsday moved faster, charging at her. His fist came down to strike Lois, stopping just inches from her face. Doomsday found himself being forced backwards, crashing against the perimeter wall of the park.

Lois looked up to find Supergirl hovering above her, her cape dropping down behind her, watching Doomsday recover before turning back to face Lois.

"Get out of here."

"How is he alive?"

"I don't know…what I do know is that he's here for Superman's body."

"No, Supergirl you can't let that happen."

"Don't worry, I won't…now go."

Lois hid behind Superman's tomb, watching as Supergirl and Doomsday went head to head. Kara knew she couldn't win. She hadn't fully matured yet and she hadn't reached her maximum strength. She just hoped she could hold the beast off until she could figure out what to do.

Kara ducked under a vicious swing and retaliated by flipping upside down and spinning, almost like a tornado, delivering a barrage of fast kicks to Doomsday's deformed face. Then moving upright, she landed a severe uppercut knocking the monster off his feet and sending him sliding along the grass. Kara didn't wait for him to recover and she flew after him, lifting him up by his legs and tossing him into the large pond.

When Doomsday emerged from the water, Kara was above him. Wrapping her legs around his neck and flipping him back across the park. Supergirl took off, flying directly at Doomsday. The beast sensed her approached and turned, swinging violently with his fist and connecting with the young Kryptonian, the bones coming from his skin cutting across her face, drawing blood from her cheek.

Doomsday then caught Kara by her hair, dragging her across the park, slamming her head into trees and rocks before delivering a couple of heavy blows to her stomach. Doomsday tuned to look at the tomb, seeing the statue of Superman. He smiled as he threw Kara like a spear through the air, aiming at the tomb.

As she sped through the air, Supergirl tried to control herself and avoid collision with the tomb but she knew there was no way she could stop in time. She felt something grab her and slow her down, until eventually she was stopped. Looking up to see who or what had caught her, Kara saw a woman's face. She had long black hair and a tiara on her head, an Amazon princess…Wonder Woman.

"It's alright…we're here to help."

Kara focussed on the word "we" and looked around. In the sky above, she saw Green Lantern hovering, his ring charged and ready for action, while a strong wind blew up, caused by someone approaching at great speed. It could only be The Flash. In the distance, Supergirl saw Hawkman and Green Arrow along with many others, helping to evacuate the tall buildings in downtown Metropolis. As Flash stopped by her side, Kara looked at him and then back at Wonder Woman, stunned.

"But how?"

"Take a look around," Flash replied, "there are news vans and helicopters everywhere. The whole world is watching. We won't let Doomsday get anywhere near Superman's body."

Kara smiled as she saw the world's heroes come to honour Superman and defend his body. As Lantern covered Doomsday in a force field, Wonder Woman spoke to Supergirl again.

"Green Lantern cannot hold him for long. Hurry, tell us how Superman defeated him before."

"He…he didn't. Lex Luthor destroyed them both with a kryptonite weapon."

"Kryptonite?" Flash cut in.

"Radioactive material from the planet Krypton…it's fatal to…forget it, I'll explain later. We don't have time talk. Keep Doomsday busy for as long as you can. I'll be back."

Kara didn't waste any time, taking off and flying towards LexCorp as behind her, some of Earth's greatest heroes battled the alien monster in the name of Superman. Kara flew across the park, crashing through the window of Lex Luthor's office, who stood up from his desk, stunned.

"Supergirl? Shouldn't you be fighting Doomsday? It hardly seems fair on Metropolis for you to abandon them just to pay me a visit though I must say this is a pleasant surprise. I assume you intend to pay for the window…"

"Save it Luthor. I don't have time for your games. The weapon that uses kryptonite…give it to me."

"You intend to use it destroy that beast? Don't bother it won't work."

"You're lying," replied Kara angrily as she grabbed Luthor and shoved him against the wall.

"Doomsday is as much a threat to me as he is to you girl, believe me, I've already tried to destroy him using that method. It seems he has developed a way to adapt to whatever means is used to defeat him and return more powerful than ever. In simple terms, he can't be destroyed by anything that has already been used to defeat him."

Kara dropped Luthor to the ground and thought for a moment. She hadn't picked up any fluctuations in Luthor's heartbeat or breathing and his eye movement didn't indicate any deception. Lex was telling the truth. As Kara tried to think of a way to beat Doomsday, her thoughts were interrupted by Luthor.

"There is nothing on Earth that can stop him…but you are not from Earth…surely an advanced race would have some way of stopping that creature."

Kara knew that Lex was right. If there was any way to beat Doomsday, there was only one place on Earth she would find it, the Fortress of Solitude. As she turned to leave, Lex called after her, smiling menacingly.

"Just one more thing…does it give you a thrill to know that every teenage boy on the planet looks your skirt when you fly past?"

"You're nothing but scum Luthor," Kara responded angrily as she ignited her heat vision, burning through Luthor's 17th century antique desk until it was nothing but a pile of ashes. She waited for a moment, watching as Luthor's smile faded, before taking off across Metropolis, heading north, away from the city.

As Supergirl flew towards the Fortress, Doomsday was fighting off some of the most powerful beings on the planet. He had broken through Green Lantern's force field and was now going blow for blow with Wonder Woman. The Amazon struck with a double blow to his head, while Flash ran straight through, knocking the beast down.

As Wonder Woman moved in to strike another blow, Doomsday reacted, catching her fist and throwing her through a group of old redwood tress. Lantern flew down to the ground and used his ring to create a large hammer, which he then used to slam into Doomsday.

As the beast rose to his feet, he found himself being caught in the middle of an updraft as Flash began running in circles around him, faster and faster, creating a twister that lifted Doomsday in to the air for Wonder Woman to collide with him and send him crashing back down.

Flash was there immediately, delivering punches to his chest. He went from ten punches every second, to twenty, to thirty, punching faster and faster until Wonder Woman came in feet first, kicking hard at Doomsday's face.

Fortress of Solitude:

Kara swam and emerged through the underwater entrance to the main cavern, being greeted by a familiar site. The main cavern was a throwback to Kryptonian Unification, the tribal wars…even as far back as the first lunar colonies. Argo didn't have structures like this. It had been created with the future in mind, while Krypton had been dedicated to preserving the legacy of it's people.

Activating the power cells, Kara waited for the Fortress to come to life. She hadn't been there since her cousin's death, any reminder being too painful for her. But this day was different. Kara didn't have time to reflect on past events, there were more urgent matters that needed attention. As the crystal control panel hummed to life, Kara immediately began searching through files, cross-referencing and indexing search keys, hoping to find a way to defeat Doomsday.

There were many crystals, each holding information on different subjects, from history, to farming, technology, there were even crystals dedicated to the mating rituals of species from a thousand different worlds. Finally she found the crystals she was looking for…weapons and alien life forms.

She tried the life crystal first, searching for any references to a being like Doomsday, hoping that there would be some sort of solution in there. But the search came up empty. So she moved on to weapons. There were design schematics of many powerful weapons created on many worlds, some references to the ring of the Green Lantern, as well as a list of Kryptonian weapons systems.

Kara knew though that these weapons could devastate the human population and even if that wasn't the case, the Fortress didn't have enough power to create them fast enough. She knew that her only option was to go back to Metropolis and rejoin the fight.

As Kara turned to leave, a flickering light source caught her attention. Attached to the main control panel was large crystal that flickered with blue, red and yellow lights. There were many crystals in the Fortress but this one was different. A crystal that had its own internal power source was a rare thing. In fact, Kara had thought that the technology was still being tested and hadn't been perfected when Krypton blew up. Curious, she picked the crystal up and began to inspect it closely.

"A memory crystal…I've never seen one this large. Must have a lot of information in it. Maybe there's something in here that will help…"

Supergirl inserted the crystal into the control panel and waited. The lights in the Fortress seemed to dim, then brighten. Surges of energy flowed through the crystal wall-conduits and in the centre of the chamber, a holographic image began to fade into view. As the image became clearer, Kara realised that it was a face and was shocked as it appeared before her.

"Kal-El?"

The image remained for just a couple of seconds before the holographic projectors were forced to shut down. The entire Fortress lit up as crystal circuits began to blow apart. Electric sparks exploded from the walls, the power being drained for some unknown purpose until eventually there was nothing, only darkness. There was no power left in the Fortress of Solitude and Kara remained silent as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

Centennial Park:

By the time Supergirl flew back to Metropolis, hundreds of people had entered the park and were now standing together, between Doomsday and Superman's tomb. They were shouting at Doomsday, telling him over and over that they wouldn't let him get near the tomb.

The beast himself meanwhile, was busy crushing the hand of Green Lantern, trying to pull off the ring with one hand while he used the other to strike out at Wonder Woman who was flying around him, launching strong attacks against him. The heroes were bruised all over and as Supergirl touched down, she was confronted by Flash, who had noticed that she wasn't carrying any weapons.

"So where is it? Where's the device that will stop this monster? We're kinda getting the crap beaten out of us here.

"Sorry Flash, no big guns to stop him. We're on our own."

"Great…well back to the battlefield…"

As Flash ran towards Doomsday, Kara noticed Lois Lane calling out to her. Supergirl didn't really know Lois. They had talked after Superman's funeral but that was it really. One thing they had in common though was that they had both cared about the Man of Steel and they were both determined to make sure that Doomsday wouldn't get near his body.

"Supergirl…what's the plan?"

"You've gotta get out of here and take these people with you Miss Lane. It's not safe."

"They want to protect his body. He's a hero to them…to everyone."

"I understand that, believe me. But it's too dangerous for them to be here."

Lois had become great at reading body language in her time as a journalist and as Supergirl spoke, she noticed that the Kryptonian seemed to be distracted, as if something other than Doomsday's threat was on her mind.

"Is there something wrong? Besides the big Neanderthal over there…"

"Something happened…I…I uh…I thought I saw something…someone…but I don't know what it means…never mind. Just get these people clear…"

Supergirl was interrupted as Green Lantern flew past, crashing into the ground, followed by Flash. Wonder Woman was still fighting but even her great strength was no match for Doomsday as he connected with a strong elbow before pulling back and striking out with his fist, sending the Amazon through the air. Kara sprang into action immediately, catching her and laying her down gently before returning to the tomb. Doomsday smiled as he surveyed the scene. Supergirl stood, protecting the tomb but she was not alone. The people of Metropolis stood with her.

"Pathetic…why must you stand in my way? Why do you protect the lifeless body of a dead failure?"

"He was no failure, he was a hero." Lois Lane called back."

"You cannot defeat me. You all know this. You call me Doomsday…yet you expect to be victorious? Why do you not run and save yourselves?"

"Because of him," Kara responded, pointing to the tomb. "Because of what he stood for, because of what he did for me, these people…the entire planet. I…we…won't let you touch him."

"I will not be denied my prize."

"Then come and get it."

Doomsday clenched his fists and began to walk confidently towards the tomb. The crowd of people, now joined by Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern as well as others who had come to help, waited and prepared themselves for what could be their death. But they didn't move. They didn't flee, they stood their ground as Doomsday approached.

He was preparing to destroy them all, but Doomsday's attention was drawn to the tomb as a thumping sound came from within the stone. Then another, and another and another. On and on it went. Each bang becoming more ferocious until eventually the ground began to rumble and shake around the tomb.

The entire park seemed to be engulfed in a localised earthquake. The large crowd retreated to what they hoped was a safe distance, not knowing what was going on. All eyes were on the tomb as the shaking became more violent until the tomb started to crumble and collapse in on itself before exploding outwards sending rock and metal everywhere, leaving a large dust cloud in place of the tomb.

Lois Lane focussed on the cloud, spotting a shadowy figure standing up among the rubble. The dust began to clear and everyone looked at the figure hoping to see exactly who had destroyed the tomb, fearing the worst. The park fell silent as the realisation of who was standing there hit them. Even Doomsday was stunned into silence.

He stood there, staring at Doomsday. His hair dark, his eyes blue like the suit that covered his body. He wore red boots and a long red cape that dropped down behind his back. He looked determined, focussing solely on the beast that had been terrorising Metropolis. Lois Lane looked up at the figure, trying to stop herself from collapsing in shock as she uttered a single word. A word that was on the on the lips of everyone in the park.

"Superman…"


	8. Issue 18

Issue #18 – SUPERMAN LIVES

Krypton – 38 hours before destruction:

"…Are you sure it will work Jor-El? I mean it hasn't even been tested."

"It's a prototype Lara, we don't know if it will be effective, but if something should happen to Kal-El, at least it will give him a chance."

"But what if he doesn't understand the technology? Or what if it doesn't work?"

"We can't know the future Lara, Kal-El will have powers beyond belief on Earth…but he won't be invincible. If the unthinkable happens, the crystal may not activate but nobody gets a second chance at life…we must have faith that Kal-El will live again…"

Fortress of Solitude – Present Day:

Kara Zor-El had gone to the Fortress hoping to find a way to defeat Doomsday but after activating a mysterious memory crystal, the Kryptonian structure had been drained of its power. What Kara didn't know was that the crystal contained the brain patterns of her cousin Kal-El.

The Fortress was left in darkness and Kara knew it would take time to recharge the power cells and she didn't have time to wait. As Supergirl returned to Metropolis to help in the fight against Doomsday, Kal-El's brainwave patterns were being transferred through the planet's magnetic field to its destination.

Centennial Park:

Clark Kent's lifeless body lay in the tomb, unaware of the battle going on outside. His suit stored solar energy that had managed to get through the small cracks in the walls over the last six months after purging the kryptonite energy from his body. The shield on his chest began to send soft electric shocks through his body, reactivating his nervous system and restarting his heart.

The solar energy that had been stored in his suit became absorbed through his skin, restoring some of his strength as his eyes opened. Kal-El was alive. He couldn't see anything and as he struggled to raise his hands, he found that there wasn't much room to move.

He began to panic, looking left and right, not seeing anything. His body was still recovering and while it hadn't decomposed, his internal organs hadn't been used in six months. Kal-El tried to breathe, his lungs hurting as he took in the stale air. His hands clawed at the barrier between himself and the outside as his heart began to beat faster. He knew he needed to calm down.

As Clark adjusted to his surroundings and the last of the solar energy penetrated his cells, his senses began to respond to him. He heard muffled sounds, gradually becoming clearer until he could hear distinct voices. Something was happening nearby.

Kal-El tried to focus through the stone, activating his x-ray vision. It was hard for him to concentrate and he couldn't make out clear images, just a collection of lights and blurs.

"…We won't let you touch him…"

"I will not be denied my prize…"

"Then come and get it…"

He heard voices outside. Something was obviously wrong and Clark knew he needed to do something. His memories began to return and his mind was filled with images of his final moments as he held on to Doomsday while Lex Luthor fired the weapon that had killed them both.

Clark began to punch the stone walls of the tomb, summoning up what little strength he had. Soon he was kicking too, then using his entire body to escape from his stone prison until the walls began to crumble and with a final surge, the tomb blew apart in a shower of dust and concrete. He felt the sun on his face, standing up, he waited for the dust to clear.

"Superman…"

Kal-El heard Lois' voice as he stared across the park towards Doomsday. There was silence in Centennial Park as the crowd tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Superman was weak and in no condition to fight Doomsday, so, after taking a final look around, he bent his knees and took off into the sky, flying out of the planet's atmosphere and into space.

He hovered, absorbing solar energy, letting the sun's rays infiltrate his body, restoring his strength and amazing powers to full capacity. Clark took a moment to take in the situation. He was alive and the world needed him…they needed Superman and he wasn't about to let them down.

As he floated high above, Kal-El noticed something in the distance. A comet was making its regular trip around the sun and it was a piece of rock and ice he recognised. When Clark was an infant travelling through space, his ship had crossed through the tail of that very same comet, forcing the ship to split in two, sending Kal-El to Kansas while the other half of the ship crashed in the Arctic and created the Fortress of Solitude.

Now the comet had returned, setting his mind off as memories of Smallville, Jonathon and Martha Kent...the values and morals he had learned filled his thoughts.

"…Are you like an angel or something?" Lana Lang had asked him the day before he left for Metropolis. After years of secrecy and lies, Clark had finally told her the truth about his origins and powers. She asked if he was an angel looking out for the world.

"No, just a guy from another planet." Clark wasn't from Earth, but it was his home and he wasn't going to let anybody hurt the people he cared about. He knew he was going to have to fight and he knew that he couldn't afford to hold back. He was ready.

Clark descended rapidly back towards Metropolis, exploding through the atmosphere like a meteor, landing hard on the grass in Centennial Park, facing Doomsday. He looked around, seeing the shocked faces in the crowd before turning back to his opponent.

"Hello again…miss me?"

"Superman…you were dead."

"So were you…"

"I adapt…I evolve. I cannot be defeated."

"Did you go to school while you were adapting? I don't remember hearing you utter a single word the last time we met."

"I am intelligent. Brainiac forced the primal urges that exist in all species to dominate my mind. But now I am free of his control."

"Brainiac? I should have known. We don't have to fight you know."

"Oh but we do Kryptonian…oh yes, I know of your race. I was created by your kind, centuries ago. A rogue scientist wanted to create the ultimate weapon. A being with unmatched strength and endurance. He would beat and kill me over and over, before regenerating my cells and bringing me back to life. For years I would die and return by his hand until eventually it began to happen without his machines…. I evolved on my own."

"Impressive…"

"Quite…Eventually I became too powerful for him to control. He tried to destroy me…but I killed him. Your Science Council discovered me and left me on a desolate world where I remained…alone, except for the expanding cold that triggered an ice age. I don't know how long I slept…but when my eyes did open, Brainiac was there, filling my mind with images of you…your symbol, your face…creating a personal hatred in me towards you."

"But you said yourself, you're free of Brainiac's control. We don't have to be enemies." As Superman spoke, his eyes scanned the buildings around the park, his vision penetrating steel and concrete, finding the buildings deserted.

"Yes we do…you are the last son of Krypton. You will pay for the crimes of your ancestors Superman. When I have destroyed you, I will destroy the ones you love…these people will suffer as I have suffered."

"I won't let that happen."

"You don't have a choice. However I will allow you to say farewell to the people who bravely stood in my path to protect you…then I will crush you."

Superman took the opportunity to turn away from Doomsday and walk towards the crowd, which was made up of citizens of the city and some of the world's greatest heroes. He looked around, spotting Lois who hadn't stopped shaking since Superman had punched his way out of his tomb.

"Hello Lois…are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm…forget it…how are you here…how is this possible?"

"I don't have time to explain. Right now you need to get out of here…that goes for everyone. Please retreat to a safe distance."

"We'll stand with you…" Wonder Woman called back, ready to fight again.

"No you won't. You need to get these people to safety. This is my fight. I have to do this alone."

"But why?" replied Supergirl, "why can't we help you? Why do you have to fight him by yourself?"

"Because…because I'm Superman…"

Everyone remained silent for a moment, thinking back on the months they had spent without their hero. They were afraid of losing him again, but they also knew that Superman was the only being on the planet who could ever hope to defeat Doomsday. Kal-El noticed the Mayor of Metropolis standing by the rubble where his tomb once stood.

"Mr. Mayor…the buildings around the park…they're empty."

"Yes Superman…every building in the downtown area has been evacuated. When Doomsday showed up again, we didn't want to take any chances."

"Doomsday?"

"What…oh yes, that's what the papers called that monster. Anyway, downtown has been deserted, there's nobody there."

"Are you sure?"

""We're sure Supes," Flash cut in, "we did it ourselves."

"If I'm going to beat this "Doomsday" I can't hold back…there could be some collateral damage."

"It's alright Superman, do what you need to do," the Mayor replied.

"If anything gets destroyed I will help to rebuild it."

"That's good enough for me Superman…go get him."

Superman smiled before walking back towards Doomsday who was ready and waiting to destroy the Man of Steel. The beast grinned at Kal-El, clenching his fists in preparation for the battle.

"Ready?"

"Just about. You know, Doomsday…it has a ring to it…but it just doesn't seem to fit the profile. I mean…look at you, sure you're big and scary…but the term doomsday implies the end of the world and you don't look like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But if you're Doomsday…then nothing I do can prevent you from winning."

"So you wish to surrender?"

"Oh no you miss understand. What I mean is, how can you be Doomsday if I beat the crap out of you?"

"You mock me?"

"Just telling it like it is. Take me for example. Do you know what they say about me? I'm faster than a speeding bullet…" Kal-El became a blur, rushing at Doomsday and stopping just inches away from the beast, whispering…

"More powerful than a locomotive." Superman pulled back his arm and swung hard with a vicious punch, sending Doomsday out of the park and crashing into the street before taking off himself and dropping down on Doomsday with a crushing knee to the chest.

"And able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

Superman picked Doomsday up, holding him by his throat with one hand, throwing heavy punches into the monster's stomach with the other. "Look, up in the sky…" Superman flew into the air, holding onto Doomsday high above the city. "It's a bird…it's a plane…no it's Doomsday falling down."

Superman tossed his enemy straight down, watching as Doomsday fell and crashed into the street below, the impact creating cracks in the road. The beast stood up and punched a telephone booth in frustration as Superman descended slowly from the sky above, then suddenly speeding up and rushing at Doomsday.

The beast reacted instinctively and turned around to face his opponent before getting knocked off his feet and sliding back along the road. As he stood, he saw his enemy smiling at him, mocking him. Superman was known as a boy scout, always doing the right thing but today he was different. Today there was no holding back.

Superman stood before him, his familiar red cape blowing in the wind, his arms crossed. Doomsday charged at the Man of Steel. Kal-El, blasted the monster with his heat vision, knocking him back. Again and again, he was hit by it, but it only served to make Doomsday angrier. Picking up an abandoned truck with ease, he hurled it at Superman, striking its mark, knocking Superman back. Clark tried to force his enemy back with a great gust of wind, but Doomsday kept coming. Finally they were face to face.

The hero of Earth and the beast came to blows. Powerful punches were exchanged between the two, both standing their ground until Doomsday, surprisingly quick for his immense size, ducked under one of the Kryptonians attacks, then swinging with his forearm, connected with Superman, sending him flying across the city, crashing into a building.

Undeterred, Superman flew at break-neck speed, charging down his opponent and finding his mark. Doomsday fell to the floor, then grabbing onto Clark's legs he forced the Kryptonian down before standing up himself and bringing his foot down hard on Kal-El's back. Doomsday picked Superman up by his cape and swung him through the Galaxy Media building and out the other side

Recovering, Superman, floated high above him, pausing to try to form a strategy that would enable him to destroy the beast, not seeing that Doomsday was making a tremendous leap into the air.

He managed to grab onto Kal-El's red boots, dragging himself up Superman's body as the Man of Steel flew higher and higher into the atmosphere. Suspended in mid-air, Doomsday, landed blow after blow on Superman's face, while using his legs to hang onto him. In an act of desperation, Superman gripped his opponent and threw him violently down toward the ground, following after him. Doomsday, crashed back to Earth with a thunderous bang, Superman flying after him at a terrifying speed, ramming into him, creating a hole in the ground, as Clark drove his enemy deep into the Earth's crust.

They battled under the city, using the hardened rock to batter each other causing the ground above to rumble and shake. Magma from the mantle crept through, creating a battleground of fire as the two alien warriors fought for supremacy. Doomsday's head connected with Clark's, forcing him backwards, stumbling as Doomsday struck again, this time smashing his elbow into Superman's face.

LexCorp:

Lex Luthor was alone. The building had been evacuated but Luthor had chosen to remain. He sat in his office, opening a communication through one of his private satellites, contacting Brainiac.

"What is it Luthor?"

"Your monster is still alive. Your kryptonite weapons no longer have any effect on him."

"This is not unexpected. The beast cannot be killed permanently. Do not concern yourself Luthor, it is a small inconvenience…I'm sure you will think of a solution."

"Hold on Brainiac. You sent that freak to Earth. This is your problem as well as mine."

"Please…don't insult me Luthor. Your world no longer concerns me. I have given you technology…use it."

"Well there is something that does concern you Brainiac…Superman lives."

"What? You assured me he was dead. You have failed me again."

"This was your failure not mine Brainiac…I suggest you fix it."

"Oh I will Luthor. I am tired of dealing with you. This will be our last communication. I suggest you look skywards…I will go to your planet and personally destroy Superman…and your pathetic world."

"You dare double-cross me? I'm Lex Luth…"

Lex didn't get a chance to finish as Brainiac severed the communications link. There had always been a risk in dealing with the alien intelligence and now Lex suddenly found himself hoping that Superman would defeat Doomsday.

"You better win Superfreak…otherwise we're all as good as dead…"

Downtown:

The ground shook ferociously; it was obvious that these titans were engaged in a fierce battle deep underground. Suddenly the shaking stopped, a figure emerged… Superman. Battered and bruised, his cape torn to shreds, his body drenched in blood. He looked around, surveying the damage created by Doomsday, staggering at first, barely able to stand, but the suns yellow rays served to rebuild his strength slowly. The ground shook again…

Before Superman could react, Doomsday struck an enormous blow, knocking the hero backwards, hundreds of meters through the air. Kal-El picked himself up, taking hold of a burnt-out car he launched it at Doomsday who merely extended his arm and swatted it away. Superman flew at him…but the destroyer caught him in mid flight and forced him to the ground.

He began pummelling Superman, landing unanswered blows to the head and stomach. He took Superman's head in his hands, crushing it, causing the Man of Steel to cry out in horror as unbearable pain spreads through his body. Doomsday slammed his head against the hard ground, cracking his skull open. Again and again, Superman's head was driven into the ground, blood streaming down his face.

The pain was gone now…he couldn't feel anything, his body in shock. Everything was like a dream; Superman's vision was blurred. He couldn't see Doomsdays satisfied face as he exacted his torment upon Kal-El. All he could see was misty images of the clouds in the sky and the blinding light of the sun.

The sun…source of his great powers…Clark's mind drifted, bringing up old memories to block the pain of the beating he was receiving at the hands of Doomsday. He remembered the teachings of his father. The messages in the crystals that taught him about his great powers.

"…As your body matures, so does your ability to process and convert solar energy. Millions of years ago, there was a planet-wide drought on Krypton. Plant-life shrivelled up, entire species of animals were wiped out. But some evolved to take in energy from our red sun…we evolved from those creatures and that same ability exists in us, though it remains dormant under a red sun. We eat food on Krypton and we do not need the sun to survive. But on Earth…the rays of a yellow sun penetrate our cells, reactivating that ability. This will manifest in many ways such as focussed heat energy released through your eyes…"

Kal-El opened his eyes and looked straight at Doomsday who was still punching him as he lay on the ground. Clark's eyes began to grow hot as he focussed, his body converting energy, preparing to release it in an intense blast. Superman's eyes turned from blue to red as his heat vision ignited burning through the bones on Doomsday's skin, causing the beast to cry out in agony as Clark continued to fire blasts of heat at him.

Doomsday was forced backwards, trying to avoid the intense fire that burned from Clark's eyes. When Superman eventually stopped, smoke was rising from Doomsday, many of the bones on his body now nothing more than ash, being blown away by the wind.

"Does it hurt? You have fought well…but you won't win Doomsday…I won't let you…"

Superman charged at the beast, knocking him through the air and sending him crashing through the LexCorp building. When he emerged on the other side, Superman was there, delivering another devastating blow that sent him through another building. This time, Superman followed him through the building, catching his legs and slamming him against the Daily Planet globe before punching him again and watching as Doomsday fell and landed heavily on his back in the street below.

Superman touched down softly and waited for Doomsday to stand. They circled each other for a moment before engaging in another round of intense fighting. Clark sped around Doomsday, catching him from behind before the beast turned and retaliated with an awesome display of brute force, his fist connecting with Superman's chest, cracking a few ribs and making him cough, forcing blood out of his mouth.

They attacked each other again, blocking and countering blows. Doomsday swung violently, smashing his forearm into Kal-El's jaw. Clark replied by throwing a vicious uppercut to Doomsday's chin. They began matching each other, their fists connecting, sending shockwaves across the city, causing buildings to shake and glass to shatter. Superman ducked under a heavy swing, then spun through the air, hitting Doomsday with a hard roundhouse kick.

"I have lived for centuries Superman…I had never met an opponent who could match my power. You are indeed a worthy foe. I shall remember your destruction…"

"My power doesn't match yours Doomsday…it exceeds it…"

"Don't be so sure Kryptonian…you will die…just like everyone else who has opposed me."

"Let's find out…let's finish this."

"As you wish…"

They charged at each other, Doomsday swinging only for Superman to block and throw his own punch. The beast dodged however and delivered an uppercut, knocking Superman up into the air. Doomsday caught him by his torn cape and pulled him down, bringing his own knee up into Kal-El's back. Superman felt the pain but ignored it as he flipped upside down, catching Doomsday in the face before landing upright and striking with a two-handed punch, sending Doomsday through the air.

As Doomsday fell backwards, time seemed to slow down as Clark took off at speed, following Doomsday and even passing him, before turning and dropping his elbow onto the approaching beast.

Doomsday regained his composure and soon, both aliens were standing face to face, locked in a battle of strength, pushing back and forth as their hands wrapped around each other's throats. Doomsday brought his knee up, hoping to force Superman to release his grip, but the Kryptonian, pushed his own body up, his legs floating in the air for a moment before coming around and kicking with both feet, forcing both of them to release their grips.

Superman forced Doomsday backwards then unleashed a mini-blizzard as he blew freezing cold wind at the beast through his lips, trapping him in a prison of ice. He knew it wouldn't last long, so he used the time to look upwards, his eyes focussing like a telescope zooming through the clouds and into space, looking for something.

When Doomsday broke free of the ice, he ran at Superman, swinging with wild lunges, however in an impressive show of speed, Superman avoided each blow and waited for his chance. Finally, the beast swung high, allowing Superman to duck under the punch and grab Doomsday, gripping him tightly.

Superman took off, holding on to Doomsday who punched and kicked trying to break free but Superman wouldn't let go. They went higher and higher through the Earth's atmosphere and into space like a rocket until eventually, Superman let go and pushed Doomsday into the comet, crashing through the icy tail and slamming onto the surface.

Superman circled the comet and flew back to Earth, but he knew it wasn't over yet. He needed to make sure Doomsday would not be able to return, Clark just hoped he had gotten his trajectories right, otherwise he could find himself floating through space for eternity, cold and lifeless. He began taking deep breaths, preparing himself as he began to fly around the Earth, building up speed before taking one final deep breath, holding it and shooting across space towards the moon.

Doomsday had evolved to survive in space for a short time following one of his creators experiments centuries ago and now he was using that time to move across the surface of the comet, hoping to find a jump off point to get back to Earth and destroy Kal-El.

What he didn't know was that Superman was slingshotting around the moon and approaching the comet, flying though part of the tail. Clark didn't bother trying to avoid the chunks of ice and rock, he just crashed straight through them as he approached the bulk mass of the comet, stretching out with his hands and using his immense strength to change the comet's path.

He pushed the comet away from the Earth, through space, further and further from the sun before eventually reaching his destination and letting go. The comet sailed through the Martian atmosphere as Superman circled the planet, ready to return to Earth.

Doomsday was helpless and could only stand on the comet and watch as the red planet, Mars, got nearer and nearer. The comet flew closer and closer to the ground before crashing heavily and as Superman flew around the planet and headed for home, he looked back to see the comet collide with the Martian surface with the force of a million nuclear weapons. The explosion sent dust into the atmosphere and created a massive crater as a blinding light filled the sky and somewhere in the carnage was the body of Doomsday.

As Superman neared Earth, his lungs began to burn as the need for oxygen sent pain throughout his body, but he kept going even as he became weaker, momentum pushing him forward. Finally he began to descend through the atmosphere, his mouth opening as he gasped, trying to take in as much air as possible while he fell towards the ground.

Centennial Park:

A huge crowd waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of their hero. It had been over an hour since NASA had spotted Superman falling through the sky and Lois Lane was getting worried. She couldn't comprehend losing him again. He had been dead for six months…now he was alive again. She didn't understand how it happened and she didn't care. All that mattered was that he was back.

In the distance, Lois spotted an approaching figure, flying through the air. Soon everyone was looking and cheering as Superman touched down gently, his suit torn, his body bruised. Everyone wanted to shake his hand and welcome him back. The news of his resurrection had spread across the world and apart from a few saddened voices in the criminal underworld, six billion people rejoiced. By the time Lois got a chance to speak to him, he had shaken the hand of pretty much everyone in Metropolis.

"Hi Lois…"

"Are you alright? What happened to Doomsday?"

"He's gone, there's no need to worry. I know people are going to have a lot of questions, but now really isn't the best time for an interview. Later?"

"Actually I uh...I quit…"

"Well I'm sure your boss will give you your job back."

"Only if I get an exclusive…"

"Alright deal…"

"How will I find you?"

"I'll find you Lois…"

Superman smiled at Lois for a moment but as he prepared to take off, Lois remembered one of the reasons she had been depressed for six months, the reason she had quit her job at the Daily Planet.

"Superman, wait…Clark Kent, my partner at the Planet…he's been missing for…well almost as long as you have…find him…please?"

Superman wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't really thought about how to explain the absence of Clark Kent and he was surprised that Lois hadn't figured out the truth. He turned to Lois briefly, nodding his head and giving her a familiar reassuring smile before ascending into the sky.

"Welcome back Superman…"

The crowd applauded and cheered as Kal-El flew away from Metropolis, being joined by his cousin Kara, while in LexCorp, Lex Luthor watched on from his office window, knowing that his bitter enemy may be his only hope.

Fortress of Solitude:

"…Hold on a minute…the technology is built into the suit? Mine too?"

"Yes Kara. The suit acts as a conduit for brainwaves to pass through, as well as storing solar energy. Given the limited power source in the crystal, it would usually take at least a year to charge up but when you put it in the control panel it sped up the process."

"So what you're saying is that we can die and die and die and we'll come back to life?"

"Unfortunately no. My father, Jor-El was only able to create one prototype memory crystal which has been burned out and so far I haven't been able to replicate the technology…so don't even think about doing anything reckless."

"Well that sucks…so what are you gonna do now?"

"First I'm gonna go back to Smallville and give Mom a big hug…after that…well Clark Kent's been missing for six months and apparently nobody has put two and two together,"

"Well they're only human Kal-El…"

They laughed together as Clark synthesised a new suit to replace the torn suit he had worn for six months in the tomb. If felt a little strange to be back in the Fortress. Before he woke up in the tomb, his last memory was of Lois telling him she loved him. To him it was a blink of an eye, but for the rest of the world, a long time had gone by.

"One thing that bothers me though, is that I've done exactly the same thing our ancestors did to Doomsday centuries ago. I've left him alone on a desolate world. What does that mean? Am I as bad as them?"

"Kal-El…our ancestors on Krypton fought the tribal wars over nothing…they were cruel…you aren't. It was the only thing you could do. What makes you think he's still alive?"

"Just a feeling…he says he can't be killed…"

"I'd be more worried about yourself after the Martian Manhunter gets his hands on you…I'm not sure he would be too pleased to learn you crashed a comet into his home world."

"Oh…" Clark couldn't help but laugh at the look his cousin was giving him. She knew that he would end up making it his personal mission to find and apologise to the Manhunter.

"Boy Scout…"

"Come on Kara, let's go save the world."

Metropolis:

Superman hovered above the city, his eyes and ears focussed on every sight and sound. Alarm bells were ringing, fires were burning, criminals waited in the shadows and the world's greatest hero was there, his cape flowing behind him in the wind, ready to resume his role as protector. As he took off into the city, evening edition newspapers all carried the same headline…Superman Lives.


End file.
